India test-fires quick reaction missile

India on Monday successfully test-fired an indigenously developed short-range and Quick Reaction Surface to Air missile (QRSAM) from Chandipur along the Odisha coast.

The missile was test-fired from Launch Complex-3 at the Integrated Test Range (ITR) around 11.30 a.m from a truck-mounted canister launcher, said official sources.

"All the technologies and subsystems incorporated in the missile have performed well, meeting all the mission requirements," an official statement said.

"All the Radars, Electro Optical Systems, Telemetry Systems and other stations have tracked the Missile and monitored all the parameters. The missile test met all the objectives."

Defence Minister Arun Jaitley congratulated the DRDO (Defence Research and Development Organisation) over the successful launch.

"Congratulations to DRDO for successfully test-firing Quick Reaction Surface to Air Missile. This will add to India's defence capabilities," Jaitley said in a tweet.

"Successful flight test of Quick Reaction Surface to Air Missile paves way for complete indigenisation of Surface to Air missile domain," he said.

The state-of-the-art missile has a strike range of 20-30 km and is capable of engaging multiple targets.

The missile has been developed by the DRDO and other establishments.

The missile was tested for a second time to evaluate the performance of its canister version. The first test was conducted on June 4.

--IANS

ao/nir/vt