The Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) Chairman, Dr G Satheesh Reddy, has claimed that once the Supersonic Missile Assisted Release Torpedo (SMART) weapon system is fully developed it would boost the Indian Navy’s anti-submarine warfare capability and allow it to engage enemy submarines from far off distances.
On October 5, the SMART weapon system was successfully tested for the first time where a supersonic missile was used to launch a torpedo against a simulated submarine as a target and the test was fully successful.
“A torpedo has a limited range capability. The range of the torpedo is enhanced through many mechanisms. One of the mechanisms is a supersonic missile assisted release of the torpedo, that is how it is called SMART,” Reddy said. The test was carried out from the APJ Abdul Kalam Island in Balasore off the coast of Odisha.
“All these operations have very successfully functioned in the very first attempt itself. So, this enhances the capability of the Indian Navy once the system gets fully proven and inducted into the armed forces. The Navy`s capability to engage submarines at far distances is also feasible,” he said.
Reddy further said that India has achieved self-reliance in the field of missile systems and can produce whatever is required by the armed forces within the country itself. The Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) has conducted around 10 successful missile tests in the last over five weeks including that of the Shaurya hypersonic missile, BrahMos extended-range missile, Prithvi nuclear-capable ballistic missile, Hypersonic missile technology development vehicles, Rudram I anti-radiation missile and the Supersonic Missile Assisted Release Torpedo weapon system.
