On Sunday, India successfully conducted twin tests of Medium-Range Surface-to-Air Missile (MRSAM) from a testing range facility off Odisha coast, consolidating the system’s peak efficiency in all-weather air defense.
MRSAM is a land variant focused on the Army’s need and both testing missiles were test-fired from the launching complex – III of the Integrated Test Range (ITR) at Chandipur as part of the live firing trials against high-speed aerial targets, conducted by Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) with the presence of Indian Army officials.
Both projectiles hit the score with absolute precision. The current model of MRSAM has been evolved into the network-centric capable and most advanced sleek missile, designed and developed by Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) and Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) in collaboration with public and private sector enterprises. MRSAM – also called Barak-8 – has had several versions under development, turning into a capable integral missile defense system in India’s arsenal.
According to DRDO, both tests of the MRSAM-Army system intercepted unmanned aerial vehicles and intercepted them through achieving direct kills at both long and short ranges. The missile intercepted the target at medium altitude at long range during the first trial and destroyed another target at low altitude at the short-range during the second trial. Both missiles have been equipped with enhanced ECCM to evade any countermeasures deployed by hostile aircraft or systems, giving them full immunity during their trajectory.
MRSAM has a maximum range of 100-120 km, the 4.5-meter long supersonic quick reaction missile weighs around 2.7 tonnes and can carry a payload of the warhead of around 60 kg. The missile achieves the quick boost phase and enters into Mach 2 velocity as soon as it’s launched. It can achieve high degrees of maneuverability at the terminal phase to take on targets successfully.
MRSAM will give the Indian Army another layer of defense with the existing air defense system already deployed on sensitive sites around borders and important locations strategically.
