India boosts drone warfare capability with compact missile

NEW DELHI — India has completed final developmental trials of a new precision guided missile that can be launched from drones to engage both ground and aerial targets.For many years the country’s drones were used primarily for intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance, but as their role in modern warfare increases exponentially, India is moving to enhance the combat capabilities of its unmanned platforms.The government called the precision guided missile, which was developed through a collaboration of government and private companies, a major boost to India’s domestic defense capabilities.A Defense Ministry statement said that it “successfully completed the final deliverable configuration development trials of Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Launched Precision Guided Missile (ULPGM)-V3 in Air-to-Ground and Air-to-Air modes at a test range near Kurnool, Andhra Pradesh.”It said the Ground Control System used to control the weapon system features “state-of-the-art technologies to automate readiness and launch operations.” An image posted by the Defense Ministry showed the missile being launched by a multi rotor drone and destroying another drone in mid-air.Analysts say the new miniaturized precision guided missile represents a significant advancement in India’s domestic drone-launched missile capability. It will allow UAVs to potentially destroy ground targets such as armored vehicles and bunkers, intercept drones, and hit low altitude air targets such as helicopters.“This capability provides a kind of mobility to your air defense capability and also reduces the cost of air defense against drones,” R.K. Narang, a senior fellow at the Manohar Parrikar Institute for Defence Studies and Analysis in New Delhi told Defense News. “It is an important milestone. This is the beginning of developing miniaturized weapons for our drone segment.”The country’s premier research and development agency, the Defense and Research Development Organisation, partnered with state-run firm Bharat