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, marking a significant advancement in its defense capabilities. The Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) conducted the test late Saturday from Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam Island off the Odisha coast.
The missile, boasting a range exceeding 1500 km, is designed to carry various payloads for all branches of the Indian armed forces. DRDO confirmed the missile’s successful terminal maneuvers and accurate impact, data corroborated by multiple range systems.
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh hailed the achievement as a “historic moment,” placing India among a select group of nations possessing this advanced technology. The missile was developed by laboratories within the Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam Missile Complex in Hyderabad, in collaboration with other DRDO labs and industry partners.
Hypersonic weapons, capable of flying at least five times the speed of sound (Mach 5), are highly maneuverable and difficult to detect and intercept due to their speed and atmospheric flight path. This contrasts with ballistic missiles, which follow a fixed trajectory outside the atmosphere.
India’s success builds on prior research under the Hypersonic Technology Demonstrator Vehicle (HSTDV) program, including successful scramjet engine tests in 2019 and 2020. A hypersonic version of the BrahMos missile is also under development. This latest achievement positions India alongside the US, Russia, and China as a leader in hypersonic weapons technology.
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