World

India among elite group after hypersonic missile test

By AAP Newswire

Nov 17, 2024

India's Defence Minister Rajnath Singh — India's hypersonic missile test is a "historic achievement", Defence Minister Rajnath Singh says. -AP

India has successfully tested a domestically developed long-range hypersonic missile, it says, attaining a key milestone in military development that puts it in a small group of nations possessing the advanced technology.

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The global push for hypersonic weapons figures in the efforts of some countries, such as India, which is striving to develop advanced long-range missiles, along with China, Russia and the United States.

The Indian missile, developed by the state-run Defence Research and Development Organisation and industry partners, is designed to carry payloads for ranges exceeding 1500km for the armed forces, the government said in a statement.

India has achieved a major milestone by successfully conducting flight trial of long range hypersonic missile from Dr APJ Abdul Kalam Island, off-the-coast of Odisha. This is a historic moment and this significant achievement has put our country in the group of select nations… — Rajnath Singh (@rajnathsingh) pic.twitter.com/jZzdTwIF6w November 17, 2024

"The flight data ... confirmed the successful terminal manoeuvres and impact with high degree of accuracy," it said.

The test-firing took place from Dr APJ Abdul Kalam island off the eastern coast of Odisha state on Saturday, it said.

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh called the test a "historic achievement" in a post on X, adding that it placed India among a select group of nations possessing such critical and advanced technologies.

By AAP Newswire

Australian Associated Press