India Tests Rudram – 1, Its First Anti-Radiation Missile

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It looks like India is on a weapons Testing Spree. The new military challenges like the two-front war have put India on a fast track mode for weapons acquisition. The standoff between the Indian Military and PLA have led to an immediate rise in demand for new advanced weapons.

The New tactical Anti-Radiation Missile is at present only designed for Indian Air Force. But, the sources believe that this missile’s capabilities will be increased in the near future to make it suitable for all three branches of the Indian Military.

This new missile can be launched from the Sukhoi-30 MKI fighter jets to destroy the enemy surveillance and radar systems. People familiar with the matter have said that the missile is capable of traveling at a speed of up to 2 Mach. This speed of Rudram will give the Indian Airforce a new capability to destroy the enemy systems without much chances of interception.

The new missile was tested by defense research and development organization at its Balasore testing range, off the coast of Odisha in west Bengal. This missile is the latest development in the weapons-making of the DRDO, which is arming the India Military with modern technology.

‘This is a huge step forward,’ a senior government of India official said when asked to comment on the latest development by DRDO. ‘The Indian Airforce Will now have the capability to carry out Suppression Of Enemy Air Defence missions deep inside the enemy territory to destroy the Air Defence Setup,’ commented the official. 

The NGARM will be integrated on Sukhoi-30MKI fighter jets. The range of the missile depends on the altitude the aircraft is flying. It can be launched from an aircraft flying as low as 500 meters to a height of 15 km. This missile can destroy targets within a range of 250 kilometers. 

The radars and electro-optical tracking system tracks the launch and impact point, said a senior official from the government of India.

This New Generation Anti-Radiation Missile has been equipped with a passive homing head that makes it capable of tracking a wide range of radiation sources and frequencies. Another feature of this missile that makes it even more deadly is its capability to lock on a target before and after the launch. 

This new missile is comparable to the tactical air-to-surface missile or as commonly known as AGM-88E. This Advanced Anti-Radiation Guided Missile was inducted by the United States Navy in 2017, and it can engage air defense targets with relocation capabilities. It can also locate and destroy targets equipped with the capability to shutdown. This capability of missile allows it to destroy enemy radar systems even if they are shut down.

Indian Union Minister Rajanth Singh also tweeted on successfully testing the new missile. He congratulated the Defence Research And Development Organisation Team on the development of this supersonic capable missile. He said, “The Rudram is India’s first indigenous anti-radiation missile developed by the Defence Research And Development Organisation for IAF. Congratulations to DRDO and other stakeholders for this remarkable achievement”.

Indian Military has also fast-tracked its military modernization plan to cope up with the current defense needs against china and Pakistan. 

After DRDO successfully recently tested an anti-submarine warfare missile system on Monday, the test of Rudram is the latest development. The DRDO released a press note for its anti-submarine system, stating that all the desired need for missile-like, range & altitude, nose cone separation, velocity reduction mechanism, and torpedo release have been met successfully. 

Now, the latest test of Rudram, which, according to the sources familiar with the matter, was successful. The new Rudram missile will give a major boost to Indian military capabilities in anti-radar warfare. 

The demand for advanced weapons like the Rudram has been a long-delayed demand from the Indian Military. Missile systems like Rudram are very crucial for the Indian Military as they will bolster the defense capabilities to a new level. The Rudram, when inducted in the Military, will give an upper hand to the Indian Military for its war capabilities against adversaries like China and Pakistan.

The induction of new technologies into the Indian defense establishment has been a crucial need as the Country is facing new challenges. The induction process has been fast-tracked as the Indian Military’s modernization plans have been lagging years behind. The modernization process was making the Indian Defence establishment unrestful as it was slowing, making the Military an aging tiger. 

The latest missile Rudram, is also a boost for India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Make in India Initiative. This initiative focuses on making India self-dependent for its defense needs. Such developments by the DRDO help the Country to fulfill its defense needs from indigenous sources. This will also help India to cut on its defense expenditure as a major part of it goes toward weapons acquisition from other nations. 

The test of this missile after the meeting of Quad members, Australia, America, India, and Japan, is also vital. The Quad warned the china about its aggressive expansionism policies to Which China Said, “Many Dogs Are Barking, But None Have Bitten.” 

Such statements from China can worsen the situation and can even lead to a full-blown out war. This has also proven that India needs such weapons for its defense as it is surrounded by adversaries that are increasingly reluctant against the peace talks. 

The only problem with such tests and weapons induction is that it can encourage other stakeholders. Although, The regular testing of various weapon systems by India and the induction of Advanced weapon systems to modernize the Indian Military have become a need of time. But, the risk with doing so is that it can lead other rival stakeholders like Pakistan to also boost their defense capabilities.

If such a situation arises, this may give rise to a new weapons race, which can be dangerous for regional peace. Instead of military standoffs, the countries should focus more on other solutions like peace talks.