India 'successfully' test-fires homegrown cruise missile ‘Nirbhay'

NEW DELHI: In its relentless pursuit of military hegemony, stoking an arms race in South Asia, India test-fired a completely homegrown cruise missile "Nirbhay" successfully, its Defence Ministry said on Thursday.

The Defence Research and Development Organisation of India conducted the test flight from the Integrated Test Range in Chandipur, situated off the coast of Odisha state.

“During the test, all subsystems performed as per expectation … The flight of the missile was also monitored from the Su-30-Mk-I aircraft of the Indian Air Force,” the statement said.

The ministry said the missile followed the desired path using way point navigation and performed a very low altitude sea-skimming flight.

“This successful flight test has also established the reliable performance of the indigenous propulsion system,” the ministry added.

The missile, also known as Indigenous Technology Cruise Missile (ITCM), is equipped with an indigenous propulsion system and the Manik turbofan engine.

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh termed the successful development of “indigenous long-range subsonic cruise missile powered by indigenous propulsion” a “major milestone” for Indian defence research and development.

The nuclear-capable, solid-fueled Nirbhay has reported range of 800-1,000km while carrying a 200-300kg payload.