Sun Nov 17 04:06:03 UTC 2024: ## India Successfully Tests Indigenous Long-Range Hypersonic Missile
**New Delhi, November 17, 2024** – India announced the successful flight test of its first indigenously developed long-range hypersonic missile on Sunday. The Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) conducted the test late Saturday from Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam Island off the coast of Odisha. The missile, boasting a range exceeding 1500 km, is designed to carry various payloads for all branches of the Indian armed forces.
The DRDO confirmed the missile’s successful terminal maneuvers and accurate impact, data corroborated by multiple range systems. Defence Minister Rajnath Singh lauded the achievement on X (formerly Twitter), calling it a “historic moment” that places India among a select group of nations possessing this advanced technology.
Hypersonic weapons, capable of flying at least five times the speed of sound (Mach 5), are significantly harder to detect and intercept than traditional ballistic missiles due to their maneuverability and atmospheric flight path. This development follows previous successful tests under the Hypersonic Technology Demonstrator Vehicle (HSTDV) program, including a Mach 6 scramjet engine test in 2020. The missile was developed by laboratories within the Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam Missile Complex in Hyderabad, alongside other DRDO labs and industry partners. A hypersonic version of the BrahMos missile is also currently under development. This achievement underscores India’s growing capabilities in advanced military technology.
First Piper 