India’s Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) conducted its maiden flight test of the Long Range Land Attack Cruise Missile (LRLACM) on Tuesday.
The indigenously-developed missile demonstrated its maneuverability at various altitudes and speeds after being launched from a mobile land platform off the coast of Odisha.
“During the test, all sub-systems performed as per expectation and met the primary mission objectives,” India’s Ministry of Defence said in a press release.
“The missile followed the desired path using way point navigation and demonstrated its capability to perform various maneuvers while flying at various altitudes and speeds.”
DRDO laboratory Aeronautical Development Establishment developed the missile, with contributions from other DRDO laboratories and the Indian industry.
Additionally, state-owned defense firms Bharat Dynamics Limited and Bharat Electronics Limited have played key roles in the missile’s development and integration.
The missile’s acquisition has been approved and sanctioned for funds by the Indian government’s Defence Acquisition Council, the highest decision-making authority in defense.
India’s Cruise Missile Development
The LRLACM is an improved version of the Nirbhay long-range cruise missile, which was first tested in 2013.
DRDO wrapped up the Nirbhay project in 2023 with the completion of its sixth development trial.
It paved the way for the Indigenous Technology Cruise Missile (ITCM) project, a demonstrator project featuring a domestically-developed turbofan engine called Manik.
Versatile Missile
The LRLACM sprung from the ITCM project, incorporating several technologies from the latter, including the Manik engine.
It can be launched from both land and sea-based platforms and has a reported range of over 1,000 kilometers (621 miles).
The precision missile is likely to be deployed for high-value targets deep into enemy territory, such as command and control nodes and weapons depots.
Around 20 additional flight trials of the missiles are reportedly planned before it enters production.