India successfully test-fires RudraM-II air-to-ground missile

NEW DELHI: India successfully flight-tested the indigenous RudraM-II air-to-ground missile, which is designed to have a strike range of almost 350-km, from a Sukhoi-30MKI fighter of the IAF off the coast of Odisha on Wednesday.
The RudraM series are being developed by the DRDO as new-generation anti-radiation missiles (NGARMs) for destroying a variety of enemy surveillance, communication, radars, and command and control centers on the ground.
The 150-km range RudraM-I missile, with INS-GPS navigation with a passive homing head for the final attack, was first tested in Oct 2020, while a 550-km RudraM-III is also under-development. The missiles are meant for suppression of enemy air defences (SEAD) from long stand-off ranges, which in turn will enable IAF strike aircraft to carry out bombing missions without hindrance.
The test of the solid-propelled RudraM-II around 11.30 am on Wednesday met all the trial objectives, validating the propulsion system and control and guidance algorithm.
“The missile’s performance was validated from the flight data captured by range tracking instruments like electro-optical systems, radar and telemetry stations, including a ship, deployed at various locations by the Integrated Test Range at Chandipur,” a defence ministry official said.
Defence minister Rajnath Singh congratulated DRDO, IAF and industry partners on the successful test-flight of RudraM-II, which incorporates “a number of state-of-the-art indigenous technologies” developed by various DRDO labs. “The successful test has consolidated the role of the RudraM-II system as a force multiplier to the armed forces,” he said.