A VL-SRSAM round, seen here being launched at a test of the weapon system on 26 March 2025. (Indian Ministry of Defence)
India's Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) and the Indian Navy have carried out a test to validate the close-range interception capabilities of its indigenously developed Vertical-Launch Short-Range Surface-to-Air Missile (VL-SRSAM).
The test was carried out on 26 March from the country's Integrated Test Range located in Chandipur, off the coast of Odisha, the Indian Ministry of Defence (MoD) disclosed in a statement on the same day.
In the test, a VL-SRSAM round was launched from a land-based vertical launcher and intercepted a high-speed aerial target flying at a low altitude and a “very close range”, the statement said.
No details on this were provided in the statement beyond adding that the test has now established the near-boundary low-altitude capability of the missile system.
An image accompanying the statement indicates that this was similar to the eight-cell launcher seen in previous tests of the weapon system.
“During the test, the target was completely destroyed by the missile executing the high turn rate required for engaging targets at very close range, and establishing the missile's agility, reliability, and pinpoint accuracy,” read the statement issued by the MoD.
“The test was conducted with all weapon system elements deployed in combat configuration. These elements, including [the] missile with [an] indigenous radio frequency seeker, multifunction radar, and weapon control system, have performed as per expectations,” the statement added.
No details on the weapon system were revealed in the MoD statement but the VL-SRSAM is estimated to have a length of about 3.8 m and its estimated top speed is Mach 4. Its maximum range is believed to be between 40 and 50 km.
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