India successfully conducts three flight trials of VSHORADS missile system

Defence ministry says indigenous very short-range air defence system revalidated against high-speed aerial threats; induction into armed forces likely soon

PGurus Newsdesk

February 28, 2026

DRDO’s VSHORADS missile intercepted high-speed aerial targets in three consecutive trials, paving the way for induction into the armed forces

DRDO-developed missile intercepts high-speed aerial targets in varied threat scenarios

India on Friday successfully conducted three consecutive flight trials of its indigenously developed Very Short-Range Air Defence System (VSHORADS) from Chandipur, off the coast of Odisha, the defence ministry said.

According to the ministry, the tests were aimed at “revalidating” the system’s capability to neutralise high-speed aerial threats operating at varying speeds, ranges and altitudes.

The VSHORADS is a man-portable air defence system designed and developed by the Research Centre Imarat (RCI) in collaboration with other laboratories of the Defence Research & Development Organisation (DRDO) and Indian industry partners. The system is intended to provide close-range air defence support to the armed forces.

In an official statement, the ministry said that during all three flight tests, the missiles successfully intercepted and destroyed high-speed aerial targets that mimicked enemy aircraft under different threat scenarios. The interceptions were carried out across extreme engagement parameters, validating the system’s operational performance.

The @DRDO_India has successfully conducted three successive flight trials of Very Short-Range Air Defence System (VSHORADS) from Integrated Test Range (ITR), Chandipur off the coast of Odisha.
These tests were carried out to revalidate the capability of VSHORADS missile system… pic.twitter.com/5dtAb45MHG
— रक्षा मंत्री कार्यालय/ RMO India (@DefenceMinIndia) February 27, 2026

The trials were conducted in the system’s final deployment configuration. Target acquisition and missile firing were executed by field operators, demonstrating the system’s readiness for real-world operational conditions.

The ministry further stated that the flight data captured by various range instruments—including telemetry systems, electro-optical tracking systems and radars deployed at the Integrated Test Range in Chandipur—confirmed the effectiveness of the missile against a wide spectrum of aerial threats.

These user validation trials were conducted in the presence of representatives from the armed forces, along with senior officials from DRDO and development-cum-production partners.

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh congratulated the DRDO, the armed forces and industry partners for the successful tests. He described the three consecutive flight trials as a significant achievement and indicated that the system could soon be inducted into the armed forces.

The successful validation marks another milestone in India’s push towards self-reliance in defence manufacturing and strengthening its short-range air defence capabilities.

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