Correct Answer : Option (C) - Odisha
India’s Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) successfully flight-tested a long-range hypersonic missile off the coast of Odisha on Sunday (17 November 2024).
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh noted its significance in a post on X and said, “India has achieved a major milestone by successfully conducting flight trial of long range hypersonic missile from Dr APJ Abdul Kalam Island, off-the-coast of Odisha. This is a historic moment and this significant achievement has put our country in the group of select nations having capabilities of such critical and advanced military technologies.”
According to an official press release, the missile can carry various payloads for ranges greater than 1,500 km for the Armed Forces. It has been indigenously developed by laboratories of the Dr APJ Abdul Kalam Missile Complex, Hyderabad, along with various other DRDO labs and industry partners.
Here is what to know about hypersonic missiles and how they play a role in enhancing defence capabilities.
What is a hypersonic missile?
The term “Hypersonic” refers to a speed at least five times the speed of sound (also called Mach-5). This comes down to around a mile per second. Another key feature of such missiles is manoeuvrability, setting them apart from a ballistic missile that follows a set course or trajectory.
The two types of hypersonic weapons systems are Hypersonic Glide Vehicles (HGV) and Hypersonic Cruise Missiles. The HGVs are launched from a rocket before gliding to the intended target while HCMs are powered by air-breathing high-speed engines or ‘scramjets’ after acquiring their target.
