DRDO successfully tests VSHORADS missile
The VSHORADS missile have been successfully tested at the Integrated Test Range in Chandipur, Odisha.
Key facts
- The Defence Research and Development Organization (DRDO) conducted two successful tests of Very Short Range Air Defence System (VSHORADS) missile in Odisha recently.
- The VSHORADS is a man portable air defence system (MANPADS) designed and developed by DRDO in collaboration with the Indian industry partners.
- It was developed by DRDO’s Hyderabad-based Research Centre Imarat (RCI) along with other DRDO facilities and private entities.
- This missile is capable of neutralizing low-altitude aerial threats at short range.
- It is designed in way that the missile can be easily moved from place to place.
- This missile integrates numerous novel technologies, including a miniaturized Reaction Control System and integrated avionics.
- It is propelled by a dual thrust solid motor.
- Very Short Range Air Defence Missiles are critical for defending major cities and strategically important locations.
- It is the last line of defence from low-flying aerial assets like fighter jets, helicopters and drones.
- The Indian Army currently has Air Defence Guns L-70 and ZU-23 for this purpose. They are over 40 years old and are completely redundant in face of modern warfare technologies.
- The Indian Army also does not have modern radar network capable of aiding and guiding air defence missiles while they engage with adversary fighter jets or helicopters.
About MANPADS
Man-portable air-defense systems (MANPADS) are portable surface-to-air missile capable of attacking low-flying fixed and rotary-wing aircraft. They can be fired while being mounted on an individual’s shoulder or on a tripod. They were developed in the 1950s to protect troops from attacks by jet aircraft. The United States and the USSR were the first to introduce these weapons.
Month: Current affairs - September, 2022
Category: Defence Current Affairs