NEW DELHI -- India has joined a select group of countries -- the U.S., Russia and China -- which have hypersonic missile capabilities. The homegrown, advanced technology gives a boost to India's efforts to gain a strategic advantage over regional rivals, and to make China "sit up," according to one expert.
Developed by Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), the missile is "designed to carry various payloads for ranges greater than 1,500 kilometers for the [country's] armed forces," a government statement said after the "successful flight-trial" of its first long-range hypersonic missile off the coast of eastern Odisha in mid-November. Indian Defense Minister Rajnath Singh described the test as a "stupendous achievement" and "major milestone."
