“Indian Navy now has a ‘SMART’ weapon to destroy Chinese Submarines in Indian Ocean”, Swarajyamag, May 2, 2024:
“Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) successfully tested the Supersonic Missile Assisted Release of Torpedo (SMART) system yesterday (1 May). This is the third successful test of the system conducted from the Integrated Test Range (ITR) Balasore in Odisha, with the first and second tests conducted in 2020 and 2021 respectively. The SMART weapon system will give a boost to Indian Navy’s anti-submarine warfare capabilities, making it easier for the navy to target Chinese submarines lurking in the depths of the Indian Ocean from stand-off ranges.
With a range of close to 650 kilometres, the weapon system will be able to drop a lightweight torpedo on the surface of the water just over the submarine, giving it very little time to evade. The SMART itself is a missile that has a two-stage solid-propellant rocket motor, which uses periodic updates from the inertial navigation system/global positioning system (INS/GPS) to reach close to its target, adjusting its location using a two-way datalink in real-time. It carries an advanced lightweight torpedo with a warhead of 50 kilograms. This torpedo has a range of a further 20 kilometres.
As soon as a Chinese submarine in the Indian Ocean is detected, the SMART missile is launched. The missile can be launched from both ground-based 8×8 transporter erector launchers (TEL) and from vertical launch systems (VLS) of Indian Navy ships. The missile changes its course using real-time inputs from either MH-60R Romeo helicopters, Boeing P-8I Poseidon long-range maritime patrol aircraft, or sonars from Coast Guard and Indian Navy ships, and reaches as close to the target at supersonic speed…..”
Read the full article at Swarajyamag.com
