According to reports, DRDO has successfully completed the first flight test of its Naval Anti-Ship Missile–Medium Range (NASM-MR), demonstrating the weapon’s capability to engage maritime targets at medium distances. The milestone marks progress in India’s drive to develop advanced indigenous anti-ship weapons for future naval operations. The test was reportedly conducted using a ground-based launch setup supported by a solid booster, rather than the missile’s planned air-launched configuration.
The NASM-MR is being developed as an all-weather, over-the-horizon cruise missile capable of providing the Indian Navy, and potentially the Indian Air Force, with a modern anti-surface warfare capability. Designed to counter small and medium-sized warships such as frigates and destroyers, the missile aims to deliver an effective and cost-efficient strike solution for maritime engagements.
Reports indicate that the missile can engage targets at ranges greater than 350 kilometers. Traveling at approximately Mach 0.9, it follows a low-level sea-skimming trajectory that helps evade radar detection and complicates interception by enemy defensive systems.
Equipped with a warhead exceeding 200 kilograms, NASM-MR is designed to inflict substantial damage on surface vessels. A key feature of the missile is its dual-mode guidance system, which reportedly integrates an active radar seeker and an imaging infrared seeker. This combination is intended to improve targeting precision while enhancing survivability against electronic warfare measures, including jamming and decoy systems.
The missile is powered by an indigenous small gas-turbine engine, reflecting DRDO’s broader efforts to advance domestic propulsion technologies for next-generation missile programs.
The reported success of the maiden flight test highlights the growing maturity of the NASM-MR project and reinforces India’s commitment to expanding its indigenous missile capabilities. Once operational, the missile could significantly enhance the country’s maritime strike and deterrence capabilities by enabling precision attacks against enemy naval assets at extended ranges.
