India has test-fired an all-weather and all-terrain Quick Reaction Surface-to-Air Missile from a test range in Odisha, an eastern Indian state on the Bay of Bengal, The Times of India reported.
The air defence system, QRSAM, was fired at 11:05 a.m. local time (6:35 a.m. GMT) from a mobile launch unit at complex 3 of the Integrated Test Range (ITR) on Chandipur Beach, according to reports citing Defence Research and Development Organisation sources.
The Indian Defence Ministry has shared photos and videos of the test.
— रक्षा मंत्री कार्यालय/ RMO India (@DefenceMinIndia) August 4, 2019
QRSAM utilises a solid-fuel propellant and has a range of 25-30 kilometres, the reports say. The first test of the QRSAM was conducted on 4 June 2017.
— रक्षा मंत्री कार्यालय/ RMO India (@DefenceMinIndia) August 4, 2019
Tensions between India and Pakistan over the Himalayan region of Jammu and Kashmir they both claim have recently intensified after a series of cross-border clashes between Indian troops and militants India claims are backed by Pakistan.
Earlier in the day, the Indian Rapid Action Force (RAF) was deployed to Poonch, a district in the Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir over reports about possible terrorist attacks in the region.
India has recently increased its military presence in the region, sending a total of 28,000 troops from the country's Central Armed Police Force to Jammu and Kashmir in addition to the 10,000 soldiers that were deployed to the India-administered state last week.
