As mutual disengagement talks between India and China continue, the DRDO has fast-tracked its missile programmes over the last 2 months. India has conducted at least 12 missile tests over the last two months

New Delhi: The DRDO's Laser-Guided Anti Tank Missile was also test-fired in Maharashtra's Ahmednagar on September 22. A second test was conducted on October 1. The DRDO tested its nuclear-capable Shaurya missile – the land-based equivalent of the Submarine Launched Ballistic Missile Sagarika (K-15) on October 3. India's first indigenous anti-radiation missile, Rudram, was successfully flight-tested on a Sukhoi-30 MKI fighter on October 9.

In mid-October, the Defence Research and Development Organisation tested its Stand-Off Anti Tank Missile off the coast of Odisha in what became at least the 12th missile test conducted in roughly 45 days.

The latest series of missile tests comes against the backdrop of ongoing talks between India and China following a brutal clash between Indian Army forces and PLA soldiers at the Galwan Valley in Eastern Ladakh in mid-June. 

With the two parties appearing deadlocked in negotiations, the DRDO has, reportedly, been told to expedite its missile programme amid concerns in New Delhi over China's commitment to disengage at the Line of Actual Control (LAC).

High-Speed Expendable Aerial Target (HEAT)

The DRDO conducted a flight test of Abhyas, its High-speed Expendable Aerial Target (HEAT) at the Integrated Test Range (ITR) in Balasore, Odisha on September 22. The two demonstrator vehicles launched were capable of reaching speeds of 0.5 Mach. As a drone (UAV), the vehicle is used as a target to test several missile systems and can fly fully autonomously.

Hypersonic Technology Demonstrator Vehicle (HSTDV)

The DRDO tested the Hypersonic Technology Demonstrator Vehicle at the APJ Abdul Kalam Launch Complex on September 7. The HSTDV is an unmanned scramjet demo aircraft capable of achieving speeds over Mach 6.

Offering supersonic combustion, the scramjet engine is reported to be an upgrade over its ramjet counterpart that works inefficiently at hypersonic speeds. Although not a weapon itself, the HSDTV has multiple uses including acting as a carrier for long-range cruise missiles, and in launching satellites.

Laser-Guided Anti Tank Guided Missile 

The DRDO's Laser-Guided Anti Tank Missile was also test-fired in Maharashtra's Ahmednagar on September 22. A second test was conducted on October 1. The weapon, test-fired from an MBT Arjun Tank, is capable of being launched from multiple platforms, has a range between 1.5 to 5km, and uses laser designation to lock on to and track its target. It can be used against vehicles with specially designed armour plates. 

Prithvi-II

On September 24, the nuclear-capable Prithvi-II missile took to the skies from the Integrated Testing Range near Odisha. The surface-to-surface, short-range ballistic missile is believed to have a range of 400km and has been developed by India's Strategic Forces Command. The missile has a warhead mounting capacity of 500kg and was first test-fired in January 1996. 

BrahMos Missile

India's BrahMos surface-to-surface supersonic LACM was tested from the Integrated Testing Range on September 30. The LACM was inducted into the Indian Army in 2007 and features an autonomous launcher than can fire three missiles at three different targets or in several other combinations. 

The Naval version of the BrahMos missile was test-fired from the INS Chennai on October 17 and hit its target in the Arabian Sea with pinpoint accuracy. 

On October 30, the supersonic cruise missile was fired from one of India's Sukhoi fighter aircraft that took off from a frontline air base in Punjab. The IAF is, reportedly, integrating the missile into over 40 of its Sukhoi jets. 

Shaurya Missile

The DRDO tested its nuclear-capable Shaurya missile – the land-based equivalent of the Submarine Launched Ballistic Missile Sagarika (K-15) on October 3. The missile is, reportedly, able to achieve speeds of 7.5 Mach and has a range of roughly 800km. 

Supersonic Missile Assisted Release of Torpedo (SMART) System

On October 5, the DRDO successfully flight-tested its indigenously developed SMART torpedo system from Wheeler Island off the coast of Odisha. The SMART system, used in Anti-Submarine Warfare, takes off from a warship or a truck-based coastal battery like a typical super-sonic missile, before releasing its torpedo into the water as it approaches a submerged enemy submarine. As such, it allows India's military to vastly extend the range of its torpedoes.

Rudram

India's first indigenous anti-radiation missile, Rudram, was successfully flight-tested on a Sukhoi-30 MKI fighter on October 9. The missile can be used to destroy enemy radars, communication sites and other targets that use radio-frequency waves, potentially disabling adversaries from launching surface-to-air missiles. In doing so, it exposes the enemy to attacks via relatively inexpensive short-range weapons.

Stand-Off Anti Tank Missile (SANT)

On October 19, India test-fired its Stand-Off Anti Missile (SANT) off the coast of Odisha. The latest iteration of the missile is integrated with both, Lock-on After Launch, and Lock-on Before Launch capabilities. It is an upgraded version of the Helicopter-launched Nag (HeliNa) missile and, reportedly, has a range of 12km.