DRDO Successfully Conducts Flight Trial of Long-Range Hypersonic Missile

The Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) achieved a significant breakthrough on Saturday by successfully conducting a flight trial of a long-range hypersonic missile from Dr APJ Abdul Kalam Island, located off the coast of Odisha. This milestone reinforces India’s standing among the few nations with advanced hypersonic missile technology.

The indigenously developed hypersonic missile is capable of carrying various payloads and has a range exceeding 1,500 km. It has been specifically designed to serve all branches of the Indian armed forces, providing them with strategic long-range strike capabilities. The missile was developed by the laboratories of Dr APJ Abdul Kalam Missile Complex in Hyderabad, with the support of various DRDO laboratories and industry partners across India.

The trial was conducted under the supervision of senior DRDO scientists and members of the armed forces. Defence Minister Rajnath Singh praised the successful trial, calling it a “major milestone” in India’s defence advancements. “India has achieved a major milestone by successfully conducting the flight trial of a long-range hypersonic missile from Dr APJ Abdul Kalam Island, off the coast of Odisha. This is a historic moment and this significant achievement has put our country in the group of select nations having capabilities of such critical and advanced military technologies. I congratulate Team DRDO, our armed forces, and the industry for this stupendous achievement,” Rajnath Singh posted on X (formerly Twitter).

How Hypersonic Missiles Work

Hypersonic missiles are designed to travel at speeds exceeding five times the speed of sound, or about 6,200 km per hour (3,850 mph), in the upper atmosphere. Although they are slower than intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs), their hypersonic glide vehicles offer a unique advantage by allowing them to manoeuvre mid-flight. This capability enables them to navigate toward targets and evade traditional defence systems.

By combining a glide vehicle with a missile that can partially launch it into orbit—known as a fractional orbital bombardment system (FOBS)—such weapons can significantly reduce adversaries’ reaction times and render conventional defence mechanisms less effective. Unlike ICBMs, which carry nuclear warheads on predetermined trajectories into space without reaching orbit, hypersonic missiles offer flexibility and unpredictability that challenge current defence frameworks.