India successfully test-fires domestically-manufactured MRSAM missile off Odisha coast

India on Wednesday successfully launched the Medium Range Surface to Air Missile (MRSAM) Army Version from Integrated Test Range in Odisha. The missile was fired from a ground mobile launcher at launchpad number-1 of the Integrated Test Range (ITR) at 4 pm from Chandipur, off the coast of Odisha. An unmanned air vehicle (UAV), 'Banshee', was first flown into the air as a target for the missile. The MRSAM managed to successfully destroy the high-speed unmanned aerial target with a direct hit.

The entire mission trajectory was monitored by various radars and electro-optico instruments which tracked the missile's movement from its launch to its plunge into the sea. Ahead of the test, DRDO along with the Balasore district administration evacuated 8,100 people residing within 2.5 km radius of the launchpad. The locals were shifted to nearby shelter centres on Wednesday morning, a revenue department official told PTI. 

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Taking to Twitter, the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) shared images from the launch, while the Office of Defence Minister Rajanath Singh shared a video of the launch operation.

Developed jointly by the DRDO and Israel Aerospace Industries, the MRSAM was manufactured domestically by Bharat Dynamics Ltd. As per Defence Ministry's sources, the induction of the missile is said to significantly enhance the combat effectiveness of the defence forces. 

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(With Agency Inputs)