Rudram missile to be inducted into service by 2022: top officials

NEW DELHI: 'Rudram', India’s first anti-radiation missile will be ready for induction into service by 2022 and will boost the Indian Air Force’s capabilities to knock out enemy radars and surveillance systems, top officials said on Friday. With the arrival of 'Rudram', the strength of the Indian Air Force will be double. The Rudram missile was developed by the Defense Research and Development Organization (DRDO) for the Air Force. The missile was successfully tested on October 9 on Wheeler Island in Odisha. The air-to-surface missile was tested from the Sukhoi-30 aircraft.

The successful test firing of Rudram-1 was seen as a major milestone as it is India's first indigenously developed anti-radiation weapon. The plan is to make the missile a part of the Air Force by 2022 after conducting six to seven more tests. The missile’s passive homing head can detect, classify and engage targets over a wide band of frequencies as programmed. The missile will help the air force take out enemy air defence systems from large stand-off ranges.