India’s DRDO and IAF have successfully flight-tested the RudraM-II air-to-surface missile under extreme release conditions, validating its subsystems and demonstrating pinpoint accuracy.

The missile, capable of speeds up to Mach 5.5 and ranges of 300–350 km, represents a major leap in indigenous precision-strike and anti-radiation capabilities.

The Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), in collaboration with the Indian Air Force (IAF), carried out the latest flight trials of the RudraM-II missile from a Su-30MKI fighter aircraft.

The tests were conducted under extreme release conditions, meaning the missile was launched at challenging flight parameters including high dynamic stress, variable altitudes between 3 km and 15 km, and rapid manoeuvring of the launch aircraft. These conditions were deliberately chosen to validate the missile’s resilience, guidance accuracy, and subsystem integrity under operationally demanding scenarios.

After release, the missile followed a critical trajectory and struck its designated target with pinpoint accuracy. Data captured by electro-optical sensors, radar tracking networks, and telemetry stations at the Integrated Test Range (ITR), Chandipur, confirmed that all mission objectives were achieved.

The missile’s performance validated the robustness of its propulsion, guidance, and seeker systems, ensuring reliability even in adverse combat environments.

The RudraM-II is a next-generation supersonic missile developed by Hyderabad-based Research Centre Imarat (RCI), with contributions from DRDL, HEMRL, ARDE, and ITR. It is powered by a solid-propellant rocket motor capable of sustaining high thrust across varying atmospheric densities.

The missile achieves terminal speeds of Mach 5.5, drastically reducing the reaction time available to hostile air defence networks. It carries a 200-kg pre-fragmented warhead, designed to inflict maximum damage on hardened targets such as radar installations, surface-to-air missile batteries, and command-and-control centres.

A key feature of RudraM-II is its hybrid guidance system, which combines inertial navigation with GPS for mid-course stability, and passive radar homing with imaging infrared seekers for terminal accuracy. 

This allows the missile to continue tracking its target even if enemy radar operators attempt to evade detection by switching off their systems mid-flight. Such resilience makes it highly effective for Suppression and Destruction of Enemy Air Defences (SEAD/DEAD) missions.

The missile is part of the broader RudraM series, which includes RudraM-I and the upcoming RudraM-III. RudraM-II significantly extends India’s strike envelope compared to foreign systems, with ranges up to 300–350 km, surpassing comparable Chinese and Pakistani missiles.

Its integration on frontline aircraft such as the Su-30MKI, and planned deployment on TEJAS MK-1A and future platforms, will provide the IAF with versatile standoff strike options.

Agencies