India Test Fires Hypersonic Nuclear-Capable Shaurya Missile; Know How It Adds To Country's Strength Amid Dispute With China

India on Saturday successfully test-fired a new version of Shaurya surface-to-surface nuclear-capable ballistic missile off the coast of Odisha which can hit targets at around 800 kms range.

Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) (ANI)

Amid the ongoing border dispute with China, India is making continuous efforts to strengthen its arms and forces on all fronts and has even tested several missiles to prove confidence over the Dragon country. On Saturday, the nation successfully test-fired a new version of Shaurya surface-to-surface nuclear-capable ballistic missile off the coast of Odisha which can hit targets at around 800 kms range. Developed by Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), the missile is a land variant of Submarine Launched Ballistic Missile (SLBM) K-15 and has the capability to strike at targets which are in a range of about 800 km. According to the reports, the missile can move at hypersonic speeds before reaching a height of 40 km as it gets closer to its target. It is a light, two-stage rocket missile which can carry nuclear payload and is quite easier to use. As reported by news agency PTI, ‘Shaurya’ has a strike range of 700 km to 1000 km and is capable of carrying payloads of 200 kg t 1000 kg. The sources told that the missile is 10 metres long, 74 cm in diameter and weighs 6.2 tonnes. Its two stages use solid propellants. The missile is so fast that the enemy’s radar across the border will get less than 400 seconds to detect, track, and intercept it. Another salient feature to note is that the missile can be stored in a composite canister, which can be easily hidden. Briefing on the same, Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) official told PTI that the the missile was tracked by various telemetry stations and radars during the test flight. He added that the test flights was pretty successful and rated Shaurya as one of the top 10 missiles in the world in its class with its high performance navigation and guidance systems, efficient propulsion systems, sophisticated control technologies and canisterised launch.