Indian DRDO performs two flight tests of indigenous VSHORADS air defense missile.

On Tuesday, March 14, the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) conducted two consecutive successful flight tests of the Very Short Range Air Defence System (VSHORADS) missile at Chandipur off the coast of Odisha, Outlook India and The Hindu report.
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Flight test of DRDO’s very short-range air-defence system missile in Odisha on March 14, 2023 (Picture source: PTI)

The Indian Defence Ministry said flight tests were carried out from a ground-based man-portable launcher against high-speed unmanned aerial targets. It said the targets were successfully intercepted, meeting all mission objectives.

VSHORADS is a man-portable air defence system (MANPAD) meant for neutralising low-altitude aerial threats at short ranges. It has been designed and developed indigenously by Research Centre Imarat, Hyderabad in collaboration with other DRDO laboratories and Indian industry partners: "The DRDO conducted two consecutive successful flight tests of the Very Short Range Air Defence System (VSHORADS) missile at the integrated test range at Chandipur off the coast of Odisha on March 14," the ministry said. "The flight tests were carried out from a ground-based man-portable launcher against high-speed unmanned aerial targets, mimicking approaching and receding aircraft," it said in a statement. The missile incorporates many novel technologies including Dual-band IIR Seeker, a miniaturised reaction control system, and integrated avionics. The propulsion is provided by a dual thrust solid motor," the ministry said.

According to the DRDO, VSHORADS is a 4th-generation weapon system equipped with a dual-thrust rocket propulsion system and an imaging infrared seeker-based system. The missile has a length of 2 m, a diameter of 0.09 m, and a weight of 21 kg, and it incorporates technologies such as a miniaturised reaction control system (RCS) and integrated avionics. The missile, capable of carrying a pre-fragmentation warhead of up to 2 kg, can strike a target within a range of 6 km in about 15−20 seconds and has a speed of Mach 1.5. It can be launched up to an altitude of 3.5 km and is equipped with a digitally controlled electromechanical actuator.

Defense News March 2023