Medium Range-Surface to Air Missile:
The Indian Navy has successfully test-fired a Medium range surface-to-air missile (MR-SAM) air defence missile system aboard the INS Surat warship in the Arabian Sea recently.
- It is a high-response, quick-reaction, vertically launched supersonic missile designed to neutralize enemy aerial threats – missiles, aircraft, guided bombs, helicopters, etc.
- It is developed jointly by Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) and Israel Aerospace Industries, and is produced at Bharat Dynamics Limited (BDL).
- Each MRSAM weapon system comprises one command and control system, one tracking radar, missiles, and mobile launcher
- The mobile launcher is used to transport, emplace, and launch up to eight canisterised missiles in two stacks.
- It can fire the missiles in single or ripple firing modes from the vertical firing position.
- The weapon is 4.5 m-long, weighs approximately 276kg, and is equipped with canards and fins for control and manoeuvrability.
- It is equipped with an advanced active radar radio frequency (RF) seeker, advanced rotating phased array radar, and a bidirectional data link.
- It is powered by a dual-pulse solid propulsion system developed by DRDO.
- The propulsion system, coupled with a thrust vector control system, allows the missile to move at a maximum speed of Mach 2.
- The weapon has the ability to engage multiple targets simultaneously at ranges of 70 km.
