India Successfully Flight Tests Indigenous RudraM-II Air-to-Surface Missile

The Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) and the Indian Air Force (IAF) successfully conducted flight tests of the indigenously developed RudraM-II Air-to-Surface Missile from an airborne platform.

The test was conducted from the Integrated Test Range (ITR), Chandipur, Odisha.

The missile was tested under extreme release conditions with a critical flight trajectory.

After launch, the missile successfully reached the predefined target with pinpoint accuracy.

About RudraM-II Missile:

RudraM-II is an indigenously developed air-to-surface precision strike missile.

It has been developed by Defence Research and Development Organisation with Indian Air Force support.

It is designed primarily for Suppression and Destruction of Enemy Air Defences (SEAD/DEAD) missions.

The missile can target:

Enemy radar stations

Surface-to-Air Missile (SAM) systems

Command and Control Centres

Other high-value ground targets

RudraM-II has a strike range of approximately 300 km, significantly higher than the earlier RudraM-I variant.

The missile is capable of achieving speeds of around Mach 5.5.

Development Partners:

The missile was developed by Research Centre Imarat as the nodal laboratory.

Other DRDO laboratories involved include:

Defence Research and Development Laboratory (DRDL)

High Energy Materials Research Laboratory (HEMRL)

Armament Research and Development Establishment (ARDE)

Integrated Test Range (ITR)

Organizations such as Hindustan Aeronautics Limited also contributed to the programme.

Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO):

Established: 1958

Headquarters: New Delhi

Ministry: Ministry of Defence

Chairman: Samir V. Kamat (as of 2026)

Integrated Test Range (ITR):

Located at Chandipur.

Used for testing:

Missiles

Rockets

Defence systems

Operated by DRDO.

SEAD and DEAD Missions:

SEAD: Suppression of Enemy Air Defences

Temporarily neutralizes enemy radar and air-defence systems.

DEAD: Destruction of Enemy Air Defences

Permanently destroys enemy air-defence assets.

These missions are critical for ensuring safe operations of fighter aircraft during military operations.