NEW DELHI, June 15: India achieved another significant milestone in its defence capabilities as the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) successfully carried out the flight-test of the Long Range Land Attack Cruise Missile (LRLACM) on Monday.
The test was conducted from Dr APJ Abdul Kalam Island, located off the coast of Odisha, marking a major step forward in the country’s efforts to strengthen indigenous long-range precision strike systems. According to officials, the flight test of the Long Range Land Attack Cruise Missile was conducted successfully. Data collected from multiple tracking and monitoring systems confirmed that all planned objectives of the mission were achieved.
“The missile achieved all mission objectives, validating critical technologies and demonstrating India’s growing long-range precision strike capability. Developed with all its sub-systems by DRDO with strong participation from Indian industry, the successful test is another major step towards Aatmanirbhar Bharat and a stronger national defence ecosystem,” the Ministry of Defence said.
The missile’s performance was closely monitored by various tracking instruments deployed by the Integrated Test Range (ITR) at Chandipur. The data gathered during the test validated the missile’s operational parameters and mission profile.
Union Defence Minister Rajnath Singh congratulated the DRDO team and the Industry Partners on the successful flight-test of LRLACM. Defence Secretary & Secretary, Department of Defence (R&D) and Chairman DRDO Rajesh Kumar Singh monitored all activities during the launch. He congratulated all the team members involved in the successful flight test.
The LRLACM is an indigenously developed missile with all sub-systems developed by various DRDO laboratories and Indian Industry partners. Aeronautical Development Establishment, Bengaluru is the Nodal Laboratory.
The launch was witnessed by senior officials from DRDO and user representatives from the Indian Navy & the Indian Air Force. The LRLACM project falls under the broader framework of the Nirbhay and LRACM programs, showcasing India’s drive towards self-reliance (Aatmanirbhar Bharat) in heavy-precision strike systems.
It is said to be capable of striking targets at distances up to 1,500 km. It can loiter in the air, wait for the target to be identified, and then execute high-precision terminal phase strikes. It is also designed to carry both conventional and nuclear warheads.
(Manas Dasgupta)
