India test-fires nuclear-capable Shaurya missile successfully

BALASORE (Odisha) :

INDIA on Saturday test-fired its indigenously developed nuclear capable hypersonic missile ‘Shaurya’ successfully with a strike range of around 1,000 km from a test range in Odisha, Defence sources said. ‘Shaurya’, which is the land variant of Indias K-15 missile, has a strike range of 700 km to 1000 km and is capable of carrying payloads of 200 kg tO 1000 kg, the sources said.

The surface-to-surface tactical missile was blasted off from a canister strapped to the ground launcher from launch complex 4 of the Integrated Test Range (ITR) in the APJ Abdul Kalam Island around 12.10 pm and covered the desired range, they said. It is 10 metres long, 74 cm in diameter and weighs 6.2 tonnes. Its two stages use solid propellants. Describing the trial as successful, the sources said that the state-of-the-art missile performed a manoeuvre in the closing stages of its flight and hit the impact point in the Bay of Bengal with precision and accuracy.

A gas generator at the bottom of the canister pushed the missile out it. Its first stage ignited then and fell off. The second stage went into action after this, a Defence Research and Development Organisation official said. During the test flight, the missile was tracked by various telemetry stations and radars and performed well, he said.