India successfully tested the domestically developed Very Short-Range Air Defence System (VSHORADS) missile. The Indian Ministry of Defence announced that the VSHORADS missile had been successfully tested from a ground-based portable launcher at the Integrated Test Range, Chandipur, off the coast of Odisha, India.
VSHORADS is an indigenously designed and developed Man Portable Air Defence System (MANPAD) by DRDO"s Research Centre Imarat (RCI), Hyderabad, in collaboration with other DRDO laboratories and Indian Industry Partners.
VSHORADS development studies started in 2010 to replace obsolete Soviet-made air defence systems S-75 Divina, ZU-23 and Igla-1 (SA-16) and Swedish-made Bofors 40 mm / L-70 systems in the inventory of the Indian Land Forces.
The VSHORADS missile incorporates many new technologies successfully proven during testing, including a miniaturized Reaction Control System (RCS) and integrated avionics. Designed to neutralize low-altitude air threats at short ranges, a double-thrust solid engine propels the missile. The missile"s design, including the launcher, has been highly optimized for easy portability.
