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Internal Security April 29, 2026 4 min read Daily brief · #2 of 25

DRDO, Navy conduct maiden salvo launch of 2 anti-ship missiles from chopper off Odisha coast

DRDO and the Indian Navy successfully conducted the maiden salvo launch of the Naval Anti-Ship Missile — Short Range (NASM-SR) from a naval helicopter platfo...

GS3 (Internal Security Science & Technology Defence)

What Happened

  • DRDO and the Indian Navy successfully conducted the maiden salvo launch of the Naval Anti-Ship Missile — Short Range (NASM-SR) from a naval helicopter platform off the Odisha coast in the Bay of Bengal, near the Integrated Test Range (ITR), Chandipur.
  • Two missiles were launched in rapid succession from the same helicopter, marking the first time an indigenously developed air-launched anti-ship missile has demonstrated the salvo capability.
  • The missiles demonstrated waterline hit capability, confirming precision targeting of surface vessels at or below the waterline — a critical characteristic for disabling or sinking enemy ships.
  • All test objectives were met, as confirmed by data from radar, electro-optical systems, and telemetry tracking deployed by the ITR.
  • The missile system was developed by Research Centre Imarat (RCI), Hyderabad, in collaboration with Defence Research & Development Laboratory (DRDL) Hyderabad, High Energy Materials Research Laboratory (HEMRL) Pune, Terminal Ballistics Research Laboratory (TBRL) Chandigarh, and ITR Chandipur.

Static Topic Bridges

The NASM-SR is India's first indigenously developed air-launched anti-ship missile, designed to be fired from naval helicopter platforms. It has an operational range of approximately 55 km, follows a sea-skimming flight profile at altitudes as low as 5 metres during the terminal phase, and carries a 100 kg high-explosive warhead with an imaging infra-red (IIR) seeker immune to electronic jamming. Navigation is provided by a fibre-optic gyroscope-based inertial navigation system (INS) combined with a radar altimeter for mid-course guidance.

  • Length: 3.6 m; diameter: 300 mm; launch weight: approximately 380 kg
  • Speed: Mach 0.8; range: ~55 km
  • Guidance: IIR seeker (terminal) + INS + radar altimeter (mid-course)
  • Warhead: 100 kg HE insensitive munition with multi-explosively formed penetrator (MEFP) and radio proximity fuze
  • Intended helicopter platforms: MH-60R Seahawk and HAL Dhruv

Connection to this news: The salvo launch successfully validates the operational readiness profile of NASM-SR, proving not only its guidance accuracy but also the ability of a single helicopter to engage a target with two missiles in quick succession — greatly increasing the probability of a kill.

Salvo Launch Capability

A salvo launch refers to firing two or more missiles in rapid succession from the same platform at the same or related targets. In anti-ship warfare, salvo launches significantly complicate the target vessel's ability to deploy countermeasures and saturate its close-in weapon systems (CIWS). Even technologically advanced warships have limited capacity to intercept multiple fast-moving sea-skimming missiles arriving within seconds of each other.

  • Increases probability of kill (Pk) against modern surface combatants equipped with anti-missile defences
  • Critical for overcoming Vertical Launch System (VLS) and CIWS defences on enemy warships
  • Sea-skimming profile at 5 m altitude makes radar detection and interception extremely difficult
  • Salvo launch from helicopters adds a vertical and off-axis attack dimension unavailable from surface vessels alone

Connection to this news: The validation of the salvo launch mode from a helicopter platform adds a powerful fleet defence and offensive anti-surface warfare (ASuW) dimension to Indian naval operations, particularly in the Indian Ocean Region.

Defence Acquisition Council (DAC) and Indigenous Defence Production

The Defence Acquisition Council (DAC), chaired by the Defence Minister, is the apex body that grants Acceptance of Necessity (AoN) for major defence procurement. The Atmanirbhar Bharat initiative in defence prioritises indigenous development through categories such as 'Make-I' and 'Make-II' under the Defence Acquisition Procedure (DAP) 2020. DRDO develops systems while the Raksha Utpadan Raftaar (Production Acceleration) framework enables faster technology transfer to defence public sector undertakings (DPSUs) and private players.

  • DRDO's Research Centre Imarat (RCI) is the primary missile development laboratory
  • Indigenisation reduces import dependency and supports the target of ₹1.75 lakh crore in defence production by FY27
  • NASM-SR will replace ageing imported systems, reducing life-cycle costs
  • Critical for India's anti-access/area-denial (A2/AD) strategy in the IOR

Connection to this news: The NASM-SR represents a milestone in India's anti-ship missile capability development under Atmanirbhar Bharat, combining domestic DRDO research with the Indian Navy's operational testing framework at Chandipur's ITR.

Key Facts & Data

  • NASM-SR range: ~55 km; speed: Mach 0.8; warhead: 100 kg HE
  • Terminal flight altitude: as low as 5 metres (sea-skimming)
  • Test location: Bay of Bengal off Odisha coast, near ITR Chandipur
  • Developed by RCI Hyderabad in collaboration with DRDL, HEMRL, TBRL and ITR Chandipur
  • Intended platforms: MH-60R Seahawk and HAL Dhruv helicopters
  • Salvo launch: two missiles fired in rapid succession from one helicopter
  • Waterline hit capability confirmed — targeting at or below enemy vessel waterline for maximum damage
On this page
  1. What Happened
  2. Static Topic Bridges
  3. Naval Anti-Ship Missile — Short Range (NASM-SR)
  4. Salvo Launch Capability
  5. Defence Acquisition Council (DAC) and Indigenous Defence Production
  6. Key Facts & Data
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