A new variant of the nuclear-capable Shaurya missile was successfully tested off the coast of Odisha on Saturday, which can hit targets at about 800 km.Top government sources told ANI that the latest version of the missile had been successfully tested and would be inducted into the strategic forces to supplement one of the current missiles in the same class.
In contrast to the current missile, the missile will be lighter and simpler to control.In the last stage, the missile travels at hypersonic speeds when moving close to its target, the sources further claimed.
The cruise missile can strike targets 400 kilometres away-its range has expanded from the current 290 kilometres.Shaurya's surface-to - surface medium-range missile, which can attain a speed of seven and a half times the speed of sound, blasted off the Abdul Kalam Island test canister off Dhamra at approximately 12.10 pm, officials said.It is fuelled by solid fuel, like a ballistic missile, but can direct itself to the target like a cruise missile.
The Defence Research and Development Organization (DRDO) has been working towards the completion of total self-reliance on strategic missiles and has further strengthened its efforts following Prime Minister Narendra Modi 's call for Aatmanirbhar Bharat in the defence sector earlier this year.
Only the United States, Russia and China have developed fast-manoeuvring hypersonic missile deployment technologies that operate at lower altitudes and are extremely difficult to track and intercept.