India has successfully conducted flight test of Supersonic Missile Assisted Release of Torpedo


According to a press release published on October 5, 2020, the Indian DRDO (Defence Research and Development Organisation) has successfully conducted a flight test of a Supersonic Missile Assisted Release of Torpedo (SMART) on 5th Oct 2020 at 1145 hrs from Wheeler Island off the coast of Odisha, India.
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Russian Vyborg Shipyard laid the Purga ice class coastguard ship of project 23550 925 001 Test fire of a Supersonic Missile Assisted Release of Torpedo SMART. (Picture source DRDO)


All the mission objectives including missile flight upto the range and altitude, separation of the nose cone, the release of Torpedo and deployment of Velocity Reduction Mechanism (VRM) have been met perfectly. The firing test of the SMART ((Supersonic Missile Assisted Release of Torpedo) was conducted from a truck launcher station. 

The tracking stations (Radars, Electro-Optical Systems) along the coast and the telemetry stations including down range ships monitored all the events.

The SMART is a missile assisted release of lightweight Anti-Submarine Torpedo System for Anti-Submarine Warfare (ASW) operations far beyond Torpedo range. This launch and demonstration are significant in establishing Anti-Submarine warfare capabilities.

Anti-submarine warfare (ASW) is a branch of underwater warfare that uses surface warships, aircraft, submarines, or other platforms, to find, track, and deter, damage, and/or destroy enemy submarines. Such operations are typically carried out to protecting friendly shipping and coastal facilities from submarine attacks and to overcome blockades.

A number of DRDO laboratories including DRDL, RCI Hyderabad, ADRDE Agra, NSTL Visakhapatnam have developed the technologies required for SMART. According to information released by the Indian defense industry,

Citing The Drive Website, the development of the SMART missile began in 2016 and the goal is reportedly for the missile to have a maximum range of 650 kilometers or just under 404 miles. The missile's warhead is Torpedo Advanced Light (TAL), also known as the Shyena. TAL, which is an acoustic homing torpedo, reportedly has an endurance of approximately six minutes, which translates to an operational range of around 10 miles at a maximum speed of 33 knots, giving it some additional time in which to find its target after hitting the water.