Article Posted on : - Feb 03, 2025

DRDO successfully conducts 3 consecutive flight trials of the Very Short-Range Air Defence System (VSHORADS) off the Odisha coast. The man-portable air defence system intercepted & destroyed low-flying drones with reduced thermal signature, proving its exceptional capability against aerial threats. Photo: @SpokespersonMoD via PTI Photo

NEW DELHI, (PTI): The Indian Ministry of Defence has said three flight-trials of a very short-range air defence missile system were conducted successfully from Chandipur off the coast of Odisha.

The trials were carried out against high-speed targets flying at very low altitude.

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh congratulated the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) and the armed forces for the successful flight tests of the VSHORADS (Very Short-Range Air Defence System) missiles.

"During all the three flight-tests, the missiles intercepted and completely destroyed the targets having reduced thermal signature mimicking low flying drones at different flying conditions," the ministry said.

"The flight-tests were carried out in final deployment configuration where in two field operators carried out weapon readiness, target acquisition and missile firing," it said in a statement last Saturday.

The VSHORADS is a man portable air defence system designed and developed indigenously by Research Centre Imarat (RCI) in collaboration with other DRDO laboratories and Indian industry partners.

The flight data captured by various range instruments like telemetry, electro-optical tracking system and radar confirmed the unique capability of VSHORADS missile system in neutralising drones along with other classes of aerial threats, the ministry said.

The missile system has the capability to meet the needs of the Indian Army, Navy and the Air Force.