Metro India News | AMARAVATI

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh announced on Friday that India has successfully tested a missile launched from a drone, which was conducted at the National Open Air Range (NOAR) near Palakolanu in Orvakal Mandal, Kurnool district, Andhra Pradesh. Taking to platform 'X' , Minister Rajnath Singh shared a photograph from the test and hailed the successful trial as a significant milestone for India’s defence capabilities.

The missile, known as the UAV-Launched Precision Guided Missile – V3 (ULPGM-V3), has been indigenously developed. While specific technical details were not disclosed, it is reported that this version is an upgrade from the previously tested ULPGM-V2 platform, according to earlier DRDO sources.

Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) partnered with various Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) and startups in the design and manufacturing of the missile. Singh congratulated all stakeholders, emphasizing that the trial demonstrated India's growing ability to not only understand but also manufacture complex defence technologies. “This successful test reaffirms India's strength in developing advanced technologies and marks another step towards self-reliance in the defence sector,” Singh said.

The NOAR test range in Kurnool, operated by DRDO, has been used in the past for trials of advanced defence systems, including Directed Energy Weapons (DEWs). These DEWs are designed to neutralize threats such as fixed-wing unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), making the range a strategic site for high-tech weapons testing.