Launch of anti-ship missile places India in exclusive club

In a milestone that pitches India in an exclusive club, the Indian Navy has successfully test-fired for the first time an anti-ship missile from the indigenously-built submarines in the Arabian Sea. The missile successfully hit a simulated surface target at extended ranges during the trial firing held on March 2, an official statement said. The missile launch is “a significant milestone not only for the Kalvari class submarines, which is the first in a series of Scorpene class submarines being built in India, but also in enhancing the Indian Navy’s sub-surface warfare capability,” it said. All six Kalvari class submarines being built in India will be equipped with this anti-ship missile which has a proven record in combat. The missiles will provide the submarines the ability to neutralise surface threats at extended ranges, according to the statement. The testing of the anti-ship missile by the Indian Navy came a day after India successfully launched a supersonic interceptor missile off the coast of Bay of Bengal in eastern state of Odisha, giving a boost to its ballistic missile defence system. The successful test-firing of the interceptor missile places India in an exclusive club of five countries which have ballistic missile defence systems.