In a significant leap for India’s military capabilities, the country successfully flight-tested its long-range hypersonic missile off the coast of Odisha, marking a historic moment for the nation. The missile, developed by the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), is designed to travel at speeds exceeding Mach 5 (over 1,220 km/h), enabling it to strike targets with extreme speed while evading most air defence systems.
India joins select nations with hypersonic missile technology
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh hailed the successful test as a “stupendous achievement” and a “historic moment” for India. Speaking on social media platform ‘X’, Singh expressed pride in the country’s accomplishment, stating that India has now joined an exclusive group of nations possessing such advanced military technology.
The missile, which can carry a variety of payloads for distances greater than 1,500 km, was launched from Dr APJ Abdul Kalam Island, off the Odisha coast. The flight data, which was tracked by multiple range systems deployed across different domains, confirmed that the missile performed its terminal maneuvers with a high degree of accuracy, successfully impacting the target.
This achievement places India among an elite list of countries—currently, only Russia and China are known to have fully developed hypersonic missiles, with the United States also pursuing similar advancements. Other nations like France, Germany, Australia, Japan, Iran, and Israel are also working on their own hypersonic missile programs.
Defence Minister Singh extended congratulations to the DRDO, the armed forces, and industry partners for their efforts in achieving this milestone. The missile was developed with the expertise of various DRDO laboratories, including the Dr APJ Abdul Kalam Missile Complex in Hyderabad, alongside key industry collaborators.