The Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) test fired the “Nirbhay” missile at 10:30 AM (IST) into the Bay of Bengal on Monday from a test facility in the Indian state of Odisha. However, just eight minutes later, the trial was aborted.
This is the fourth time since 2013 that a trial launch of Nirbhay cruise missile has been stopped mid-way.
The Hindi word “Nirbhay” translates as “fearless”; upon completing its trials, potentially in the upcoming months, the cruise missile will formally be inducted by the Indian military.
Just eight minutes after its launch, the 800 km-range subsonic missile developed a snag due to which the trial was brought to an end, Hindustan Times reported, citing a DRDO official.
The test launch of Nirbhay missile marked India’s 10th missile trial in the last 35 days amid ongoing border tensions with China.
Earlier last week, the DRDO successfully tested a new-generation anti-radiation missile called RUDRAM.