Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) and the Indian Navy have successfully conducted the maiden salvo launch of the Naval Anti-ship Missile-Short Range (NASM-SR) from a naval helicopter off the coast of Odisha in the Bay of Bengal. During the trial two missiles were launched in quick succession from the same helicopter, marking the first salvo launch of an advanced air-launched anti-ship missile system. All test objectives were fully met according to data captured by range tracking instruments such as radar, electro-optical systems and telemetry deployed by the Integrated Test Range (ITR), Chandipur. The trial demonstrated both salvo launch capability and waterline hit performance under instrumented test conditions.

The launches were witnessed by senior scientists from DRDO, users' representatives from the Indian Navy and the Indian Air Force and Development-cum-Production Partners (DcPP). Test monitoring employed multiple tracking and measurement systems to corroborate performance parameters and trajectory data, with telemetry providing real-time mission diagnostics and recovery of post-flight data for analysis. The integrated instrumentation suite enabled validation of guidance, control and seeker performance across flight phases.

The NASM-SR employs a solid propulsion booster and a long-burn sustainer to achieve the required flight profile. Critical subsystems developed indigenously include the seeker, an integrated avionics module, advanced navigation and guidance using a fibre-optic gyroscope-based Inertial Navigation System (INS) and a radio-altimeter, together with control and guidance algorithms, a high-bandwidth two-way data link and jet-vane control. These elements were developed by multiple DRDO laboratories and Indian industry partners to meet mission reliability and accuracy requirements.

The missile system was led by Research Centre Imarat in Hyderabad in collaboration with Defence Research and Development Laboratory, Hyderabad; High Energy Materials Research Laboratory, Pune; Terminal Ballistics Research Laboratory, Chandigarh; and ITR Chandipur. Production is underway through DcPP with support from Indian industries and start-ups. Raksha Mantri Rajnath Singh complimented DRDO, the armed services and industry partners for the successful validation and indicated the development will further enhance defence capabilities, while the Secretary Department of Defence R&D and Chairman DRDO congratulated the teams involved.