India trials VSHORADS ahead of planned induction

This image released by India's Press Information Bureau on 27 February shows the VSHORAD missile being fired in trials carried out at the Integrated Test Range in Chandipur. (Press Information Bureau)

India's Defence Research & Development Organisation (DRDO) has completed three successive flight trials of its Very Short Range Air-Defence System (VSHORADS), the Ministry of Defence (MoD) has said.

The flight trials were conducted on 27 February at the Integrated Test Range (ITR), Chandipur, marking a step towards induction of the indigenous manportable air-defence system (MANPADS) into the Indian military. The MoD quoted Indian Defence Minister Rajnath Singh as saying that the system “can soon be inducted into [the] armed forces”.

The MoD said the tests were conducted at varying speeds, altitudes, and range profiles. “During all the flight tests, the missiles intercepted and destroyed the high-speed aerial targets mimicking enemy aircraft in various threat scenarios meeting all extreme engagement points,” the MoD added.

“The tests were carried out in final deployment configuration, where target acquisition and missile firing were carried out by field operators,” it added.

The MoD said that during the trials flight data was captured by a range of instruments including telemetry and electro-optical tracking systems and radars deployed by the ITR.

VSHORADS was designed and developed by the DRDO's Research Centre Imarat (RCI) in collaboration with other DRDO laboratories and development and production partners. The MoD has said the system is designed to meet a triservice requirement for a lightweight, manportable close‑in air‑defence capability.