India’s DRDO Achieves Breakthrough with Successful Test of New Long-Range Cruise Missile

According to officials, the newly tested long-range land-attack cruise missile (LRLACM), described as an indigenous counterpart inspired by the US Tomahawk subsonic cruise missile class, successfully struck its target at a distance of 1,000 kilometers with high precision. The missile has not yet been officially named.

The successful trial is being seen as a major technological advancement after the challenges faced in the Nirbhay programme. The system demonstrated improved guidance accuracy and performance stability during the test, addressing previous shortcomings.

Officials highlighted that the missile is designed for low observability and advanced penetration capability. It flies at a subsonic speed of Mach 0.8 and is capable of extremely low-altitude flight, including terrain-hugging and sea-skimming profiles, making it difficult for enemy radar systems to detect and track.

The missile is also capable of carrying a 500-kilogram warhead, significantly enhancing its destructive potential against strategic land-based targets located deep within enemy territory.

A key feature of the system is its multi-platform launch capability, allowing deployment from different operational platforms, thereby increasing its tactical flexibility and battlefield utility.

According to defence sources, the system represents an upgraded evolution of the earlier Nirbhay project, incorporating a longer range and improved precision-guidance technology. The missile is expected to undergo two additional developmental trials over the next two years, followed by two user trials before being formally inducted into the armed forces.

Once inducted, the missile is expected to become a key component of the Indian Army’s rocket regiment, strengthening India’s stand-off strike capabilities in modern warfare scenarios.

In the regional strategic context, the development is viewed as a response to existing cruise missile capabilities in neighbouring countries. Pakistan has operated the Babur cruise missile, with a range of approximately 900 kilometers, since 2010. China, meanwhile, maintains a significantly larger inventory of both conventional and nuclear-capable cruise missiles under the People’s Liberation Army (PLA).

Reports also suggest that Pakistan’s Babur missile programme was developed with Chinese assistance. It is further claimed that following the 1998 US strike on an Al-Qaeda camp in Khost, Afghanistan, Pakistan recovered an unexploded Tomahawk missile. According to these reports, the system was reverse-engineered and later shared with China, which subsequently assisted Pakistan in developing the Babur missile. These claims, however, remain part of reported defence narratives and are not independently verified.

The successful test underscores India’s continued push to modernize its missile arsenal and strengthen indigenous defence capabilities in an increasingly competitive regional security environment.