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SMART Test

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October 09, 2020

Why in news?

India conducted the flight test of a Supersonic Missile Assisted Release of Torpedo (SMART) system.

What are Torpedoes?

  • Torpedoes are self-propelled weapons that travel underwater to hit a target.
  • They are limited by their range.

What is SMART system?

  • The SMART system is developed by the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO).
  • The system has a mechanism by which the torpedo is launched from a supersonic missile system with changes that would take the torpedo to a far longer range than its own.
  • The system also gives flexibility in terms of the missile system’s launch platform.

Who were involved in the development?

  • A number of DRDO laboratories have developed the technologies required for SMART. They are,
    1. Defence Research and Development Laboratory (DRDL) and Research Centre Imarat (RCI), both in Hyderabad;
    2. Aerial Delivery Research and Development Establishment, Agra;
    3. Naval Science and Technology Laboratory (NSTL) Visakhapatnam.

What is the significance?

  • SMART is a game-changing technology demonstration in anti-submarine warfare.
  • India’s anti-submarine warfare capacity building is crucial in light of China’s growing influence in the Indian Ocean region.
  • The Navy’s anti-submarine warfare capability got a boost after the conclusion of a contract for Advanced Torpedo Decoy System Maareech.
  • [Maareech is capable of being fired from all frontline warships.]
  • India has been indigenously developing and building several anti-submarine systems and vessels in the recent past.
  • [In January 2020, DRDO conducted two tests of the K Family missiles.]
  • The capability of launching nuclear weapons from submarine platforms has strategic importance in light of the “no first use” policy of India.
  • These submarines can not only survive a first strike by an adversary but also can launch a strike in retaliation.
  • The nuclear-powered Arihant submarine and its class members in the pipeline are assets capable of launching missiles with nuclear warheads.

 

Source: The Indian Express

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