- Why in news
- On 22 January 2026, the Ministry of Defence said DRDO will show the Long Range Anti-Ship Hypersonic Missile (LR-AShM) at the 77th Republic Day Parade on Kartavya Path. A DRDO tableau on submarine technologies will be at Bharat Parv, Red Fort, from 26 to 31 January 2026.
- What it is
- LR-AShM is a DRDO-developed hypersonic glide missile built for the Indian Navy's coastal battery needs. It can hit static and moving ships and can carry different payloads. A hypersonic glide vehicle flies low and manoeuvres, which makes it hard for radars to track.
- Role
- Designed for the Indian Navy's coastal battery requirement, and can engage static and moving targets.
- Type
- A hypersonic glide missile that can carry various payloads.
- Propulsion
- Two-stage solid rocket motor. After Stage-II burnout the vehicle glides unpowered before attacking the target.
- Stealth against radar
- Low altitude, high speed and manoeuvrability keep it undetected by ground and ship radars for most of its flight.
- Hypersonic speed
- Hypersonic means speed above Mach 5.
Don’t confuse with Hypersonic glide vehicle vs hypersonic cruise missile: A glide vehicle is boosted by rockets, then glides unpowered. A cruise missile uses an air-breathing engine such as a scramjet for sustained powered flight.
Don’t confuse with Ballistic vs quasi-ballistic: A ballistic missile follows a fixed arc after burnout. A quasi-ballistic path includes skips and manoeuvres, so it is less predictable.
Defence: Prelims tests exercises (with whom), equipment (who makes it) and firsts.
Why it matters
- Strengthens indigenous naval strike capability and Aatmanirbhar Bharat in defence.
- Low-flying, manoeuvrable hypersonic weapons are hard to detect and intercept, adding to deterrence in the Indian Ocean region.
Problems
- Hypersonic systems need costly materials, sensors and testing infrastructure.
- Moving ship targets need accurate terminal guidance, which is hard to prove.
Way forward
- Complete user trials and induct the system, with industry and MSME production partners.
- Pair the missile with surveillance and targeting networks for over-the-horizon strikes.
Put in your answer
DRDO's role: DRDO acts as the design and development agency for the Armed Forces, with academia, industry and services as partners.
Submarine technologies: The Integrated Combat Suite involved eight DRDO labs and about 150 industry partners and MSMEs.
- 2025Mains GS3 · Q20Maritime and coastal security challenges and the way forward for sea trade
- 2022Mains GS3 · Q10Maritime security challenges in India and initiatives to improve maritime security
- 2022Prelims Q34Which statement reflects the idea behind Fractional Orbital Bombardment System
- 2009Prelims Q136Shourya missile's speed above Mach 8 and range above 1600 km
- 2023Prelims Q58Ballistic versus cruise missile propulsion and flight phases; Agni-V and BrahMos classification
UPSC’s own questions that come close to this issue, from our Prelims and Mains banks.
No practice question for this one; the card may still help an answer. Why: Defence systems are 8 of 327 news-linked Prelims questions and almost never reach Mains; worth a read only.
Worth revising until Prelims 2027: most news questions come within two years of the event.