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DRDO and Indian Air Force successfully flight-tested RudraM-II air-to-surface missile from a Su-30MKI platform at Integrated Test Range, Chandipur (Odisha) on June 2, 2026 under extreme release conditions.
Core Capabilities & Technical Specifications
- Supersonic Velocity: Equipped with a solid-propellant motor, the missile achieves a blistering terminal speed of up to Mach 5.5 (over five times the speed of sound).
- Extended Stand-Off Range: It boasts an effective operational strike envelope ranging between 300 km and 350 km, allowing fighter pilots to fire from deep within safe territory.
- Massive Payload: The air-launched system supports a destructive warhead capacity weighing up to 200 kilograms.
- Operational Altitudes: Fighter jets can reliably release the weapon from tactical altitudes spanning 3 km to 15 km above sea level.
- Hybrid Dual-Seeker Guidance: It features an Inertial Navigation System (INS) combined with GPS, alongside a Passive Homing Head (PHH) and an Imaging Infrared (IIR) seeker for precision terminal guidance.
Strategic Mission Role
- SEAD/DEAD Specialization: RudraM-II is purpose-built for the Suppression and Destruction of Enemy Air Defences.
- Radar Hunting: The passive homing head locks onto hostile ground-based surveillance, tracking radars, and communication nodes from over 100 km away.
- Memory Lock Tech: If an enemy turns off their radar system mid-flight to avoid detection, the missile's autonomous internal computer remembers the exact coordinates to impact the target anyway.
- Hard Target Elimination: Beyond electronics, its high velocity and explosive yield make it effective at obliterating aircraft hangars, hardened bunkers, and airstrips.
The RudraM Missile Family Ecosystem
- Replacing Foreign Inventory: The RudraM series is specifically designed to phase out and replace the aging Russian-origin Kh-31 anti-radiation missiles currently in the IAF inventory.
- RudraM-I: The base variant, test-fired in 2020, functions as a shorter-range system covering 100 km to 150 km at Mach 2 speeds.
- RudraM-II: The current mid-tier variant that doubles the operational range (300+ km) and massively scales up speed and sensor integration.
- RudraM-III: A highly secretive, next-generation hypersonic variant boasting an extended engagement range of 550 km to 600 km, currently under active development by DRDO.
- Multi-Platform Integration: While primarily validated on the Sukhoi Su-30MKI, the IAF is pushing to integrate the RudraM architecture onto other frontline fleets, including the Mirage-2000, Tejas Mk1A, and Jaguar Darin-III.
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