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NASM-SR MISSILE

UPSC CURRENT AFFAIRS | NASM-SR MISSILE | 25TH MAY 2022 | THE HINDUS

/ May, 2022, UPSC Daily Current Affairs

Why in News?

The Navy recently tested an indigenous Naval Anti-Ship Missile (Short Range) or NASM-SR MISSILE from a Sea King helicopter at the Integrated Test Range in Balasore, Odisha.

  • The NASM-SR has been developed by the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO). The NASM-SR has a range of 55 km and weighs 385 kg.
  • This missile will replace the Sea Eagle missiles which are currently in use with the Navy. With the Sea King helicopters too being phased out.
  • It is expected that the NASM-SR MISSILE will be used with the new MH-60R multi-role helicopters.
  • Which are being inducted into the Navy.
  • The NASM-SR carries a warhead of 100 kg and has sub-sonic capabilities, which means that it flies below the speed of sound at 0.8 Mach. The sub-sonic flight speed makes it difficult for the naval vessels on target to detect it.
  • It has a launch altitude of a maximum of 3 km and can skim 5 metres above sea level.
  • When on final approach to the target,The NASM-SR can also be fired from the shore to target vessels in the sea.

DRDO

  • The Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) (IAST: Raksā Anūsandhān Evam Vikās Sangaṭhan) is the premier agency.
  • Under the Department of Defence Research and Development in the Ministry of Defence of the Government of India.
  • Charged with the military’s research and development, headquartered in Delhi, India.
  • It was formed in 1958 by the merger of the Technical Development Establishment and the Directorate of Technical Development and Production of the Indian Ordnance Factories with the Defence Science Organisation.
  • Subsequently, Defence Research & Development Service (DRDS) was constituted in 1979 as a service of Group ‘A’ Officers / Scientists directly under the administrative control of Ministry of Defence.

Anti-Ship Missile

  • An anti-ship missile (AShM) is a guided missile that is designed for use against ships and large boats. Most anti-ship missiles are of the sea-skimming (Sea skimming is a technique many anti-ship missiles and some fighter or strike aircraft use to Avoid radar and infrared detection and to lower the probability of being shot down during their approach to the target) variety, and many use a combination of inertial guidance and active radar homing.
  • A good number of other anti-ship missiles use infrared homing to follow the heat that is emitted by a ship; it is also possible for anti-ship missiles to be guided by radio command all the way.
  • The first anti-ship missiles, which were developed and built by Nazi Germany, used radio command guidance.
  • These saw some success in the Mediterranean Theatre during 1943–44, sinking or heavily damaging at least 31 ships with the Henschel Hs 293 and more than seven with the Fritz X, including the Italian battleship Roma and the light cruiser USS Savannah.
  • A variant of the HS 293 had a TV camera/transmitter on board.
  • The Bomber Carrying it could then Fly Outside the Range of naval Anti-Aircraft guns and use visual guidance via the bombardier to lead the missile to its target by radio control.

Read more: UPSC CURRENT AFFAIRS

Source: The Hindu