This medium-range, canister-based missile ASW system carries an advanced lightweight torpedo as payload that is said to “enhance the strength of the Navy.”
India’s DRDO today successfully flight tested Supersonic Missile Assisted Release of Torpedo (SMART) from Dr APJ Abdul Kalam Island off the coast of Odisha. Credit: PIB India X account.
India’s Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), a branch of the Ministry of Defence (MoD), successfully tested its Supersonic Missile-Assisted Release of Torpedo (SMART) system.
SMART is a novel concept launched from the ground. It is a canisterised hybrid system that can travel at supersonic speeds, and it is made up of a medium-range missile carrying a lightweight torpedo as a payload.
It is a weapon system that performs an anti-submarine warfare (ASW) role for the Indian Navy. The objective behind the project is to develop a quick reaction system that can launch torpedos from a standoff distance.
The test took place at Dr APJ Abdul Kalam Island off the coast of Odisha, an eastern India state along the Bay of Bengal on the morning of the 1 May 2024.
SMART was launched from a mobile ground launcher. Several mechanisms such as symmetric separation, ejection and velocity control have been validated in this test.
Raksha Mantri Shri Rajnath Singh, the Indian Defence Minister praised the DRDO and its industry partners on the successful flight-test of SMART: “The development of the system will further enhance the strength of our Navy.”
Secretary for Department of Defence research and development and Chairman DRDO, Dr Samir V Kamat, likewise lauded the synergistic efforts of the entire SMART team and urged it to “continue on the path of excellence,” the MoD stated.
Photo of the launch of SMART on 1 May 2024. Credit: Indian MoD.
The missile has a range of 643 kilometres (400 miles) carrying a light weight torpedo of range 20km (12.5m) with 50 kilogrammes high explosive warhead.
SMART uses two-way data link connected to airborne or ship based submarine detection and identification systems. SMART can be launched from a surface ship or a truck-based coastal battery.
