India tests missile-assisted system to target submarines at long ranges

In a significant capability demonstration amid border tensions with China, India on Monday successfully tested supersonic missile-assisted release of torpedo (SMART) from a defence facility off the Odisha coast, the defence ministry said.
The capability will allow India to target enemy submarines at long ranges, officials said. The system is a missile-assisted release of lightweight anti-submarine torpedo to strike targets way beyond the latter’s range.
“All the mission objectives including missile flight up to the (desired) range and altitude, separation of the nose cone, release of torpedo and deployment of velocity reduction mechanism (VRM) have been met perfectly,” a ministry statement said.
“This launch and demonstration is significant in establishing anti-submarine warfare capabilities,” it added. Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) chief G Satheesh Reddy said SMART was a “game changer” technology demonstration in the realm of anti-submarine warfare