India Successfully Test Fires China Specific, Nuclear Capable Ballistic Missile Shaurya

In a major event, India today successfully test fired the Shaurya surface-to-surface nuclear-capable ballistic missile.

This was the first-ever user-specific trial of the indigenously developed hypersonic nuclear-capable Shaurya missile today (3 October) off the coast of Odisha, reports New Indian Express.

The canister-launched missile has been developed by the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO). It will be test-fired today with a dummy payload from a land-based platform in a fully operational configuration.

Highly manoeuvrable, the missile is less vulnerable to anti-ballistic missile defence systems, thus adding to its strategic importance. Its agility ensures that the enemy radars would have less than 400 seconds to detect, track and intercept before it hits the intended target. It boasts of unique capability, wherein it can guide itself up to the target like a cruise missile while being powered by solid fuel like a ballistic missile.

The test of Shaurya missile also gains significance as it is one of the China-specific missile developed by the nation. If launched from a submarine off the Chinese coast, the missile can cover many of the major Chinese cities.

The 10-metres-long missile has a strike range of 700 to 1,800 kilometres and can carry warheads with a payload of up to a tonne. It boasts of a two-engine system which accelerates it to six times the speed of sound before it reaches the height of 40 kilometres, post which it cruises towards the intended target.