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| Nirbhay Cruise Missle successfully test-fired | The Indian Hawk |
Following the failure of the October 2020 test, the Defence Research and Development Organization (DRDO) launched the 1,000-kilometer-range Nirbhay cruise missile from the Chandipur testing facility in Odisha on Wednesday. At 9:55 a.m., the subsonic cruise missile was launched and tested for 100 kilometres in flight and 15 minutes in time.
The firing was only partially successful. According to DRDO sources, the indigenous engine was successfully tested, but the delivery platform went down for unknown reasons. “Although there was a hiccup in the controller, the engine performed admirably. The next test fire will take place in mission mode before to the user trials for the air force and navy “announced a government official.
Balasore, Odisha: India today successfully tested the DRDO-developed Indigenous Technology Cruise Missile off the coast of Odisha. The missile flew for around 150 km with an indigenous cruise engine. More tests would be conducted in near future: Sources
— ANI (@ANI) August 11, 2021
This was the first successful test-fire of the indigenous booster engine after the previous one had to be aborted after only eight minutes of flight time.
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| Nirbhay Cruise Missile at DRDO for Exhibition |The Indian Hawk |
Nirbhay is a subsonic missile that can fly at speeds ranging from 0.7 to 0.9 Mach. It has sea-skimming and terrain-hugging capabilities that allow it to escape detection by hostile radar. It is a two-stage missile with a solid fuel first stage and a liquid fuel second stage.
It carries a conventional warhead weighing 300 kilos and has a range of 1500 kilometres. The missile can fly between 50 meters and four kilometres above the ground, picking up the target before engaging and killing it.
The missile has now been handed over to the army, which will put it through three more tests before inducting it. Nirbhay is anticipated to be deployed near the Line of Actual Control (LAC) during the ongoing standoff with China in East Ladakh.