DRDO successfully tests supersonic missile-assisted torpedo release system

The DRDO on Monday successfully tested a system of supersonic missile-assisted release of lightweight anti-submarine torpedo called SMART from the Wheeler island in Odisha, said the Defence Ministry.

In a statement, the ministry said SMART is for anti-submarine warfare operations "far beyond the torpedo range".

"Supersonic Missile Assisted Release of Torpedo (SMART) has been successfully flight tested today Oct 5, 2020 at 1145 hrs from Wheeler Island off the coast of Odisha," the ministry noted.

The test was conducted by the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO).

All the mission objectives, including missile flight upto the range and altitude, separation of the nose cone, release of torpedo and deployment of velocity reduction mechanism (VRM) were met perfectly during the test, it mentioned.

"The tracking stations (Radars, Electro Optical Systems) along the coast and the telemetry stations, including down range ships monitored all the events," it stated.

This launch and demonstration of SMART is significant in establishing anti-submarine warfare capabilities, it said.

SMART is a missile assisted release of a lightweight anti-submarine torpedo system, it stated.

"The @DRDO_India has successfully flight tested the Supersonic Missile assisted release of Torpedo, SMART. This will be a major technology breakthrough for stand-off capability in anti-submarine warfare," said Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Twitter.

"I congratulate DRDO and other stakeholders for this significant achievement," he stated.