RudraM-II Missile

31.05.2024

RudraM-II Missile

Why in the news?                        

Recently, the Defence Research & Development Organisation (DRDO) successfully flight-tested the RudraM-II from Su-30 MK-I platform of the Indian Air Force (IAF) off the coast of Odisha.

About RudraM-II Missile:

• It is an indigenously-developed solid-propelled air-launched missile system.
• It is meant for Air-to-Surface role to neutralize many types of enemy assets.
• It is designed to have a strike range of almost 350-km, from a Sukhoi-30MKI fighter of the IAF.
• It involves several state-of-the-art indigenous technologies developed by various DRDO laboratories that have been incorporated into the missile system.

Significance:

The flight-test met all the trial objectives, validating the propulsion system and control & guidance algorithm.

The successful test consolidated the role of RudraM-II as a force multiplier to the Indian armed forces.

RudraM series missiles

• The DRDO is developing these as new-generation anti-radiation missiles (NGARMs) for destroying a variety of enemy surveillance, communication, radars and command and control centers on the ground.
• The 150-km range RudraM-I missile, with INS-GPS navigation with a passive homing head for the final attack, was first tested in Oct 2020.
• The Rudram-1 version has two seekers - A passive-homing head seeker, which can detect and classify targets over a range of radio frequencies and one Millimetre Wave (MMW) seeker that helps the missile to operate in different weather conditions.
• It has a launch altitude range of 1 km to 15 km.
• The missiles are meant for suppression of enemy air defenses (SEAD) from long stand-off ranges, which in turn will enable IAF strike aircraft to carry out bombing missions without hindrance.
• In 2022, the Indian Air Force proposed the acquisition of the Next Generation Anti-Radiation Missile (NGARM) in a ₹1,400 crore deal.

What is an anti-radiation missile?

• These are designed to detect, track and neutralize the adversary’s radar, communication assets and other radio frequency sources, which are generally part of their air defense systems.
• Such a missile’s navigation mechanism comprises

○Inertial navigation system: A computerized mechanism that uses changes in the object’s own position  coupled with GPS, which is satellite-based.

○Passive homing head: A system that can detect, classify and engage targets (radio frequency sources in this case) over a wide band of frequencies as programmed.

                                                       Source: The Economic Times

Consider the following statements with reference to the RudraM-II missile:

Statement-I

 It is an indigenously developed solid-propelled air-launched missile system.

Statement-II

It has a strike range of almost 3500-km.

Which one of the following is correct in respect of the above statements?

A.Both Statement-I and Statement-II are correct, and Statement-II is the correct explanation for Statement-I.

B.Both Statement-I and Statement-II are correct, and Statement-II is not the correct explanation for Statement-I.

C.Statement-I is correct, but Statement-II is incorrect.

D.Statement-I is incorrect, but Statement-II is correct.

Answer C