India on Wednesday, August 11, successfully tested the DRDO's Indigenous Technology Cruise Missile (ITCM) off the coast of Odisha. According to sources, more tests are to be conducted in near future to understand and develop the technology. Also, the range of the missile with an indigenous cruise engine can be increased later.
After a successful test of its cruise missile made entirely of indigenous technology, India has now moved a step ahead in the direction of making war weapons. The missile launch was a significant step towards becoming self-sufficient. Designed and developed by the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), the missile with a Made-in-India Manik turbofan engine test flew for around 150 km. The engine has performed as expected by DRDO.
Talking about the structure of the missile, it has a length of six meters, a wingspan of 2.7 m, a diameter of 0.52 m and a launch weight of about 1.5 tonnes.
"The new cruise missile will supplement the Indo-Russian joint venture supersonic cruise missile BrahMos," sources said.