Written by Tanush Sahasrabuddhe, a grade 4 student

On the 5th of October, 2020, the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) – an agency under in Ministry of Defence in India – successfully tested the Supersonic Missile Assisted Release of Torpedo system(SMART) off the coast of Odisha.

DRDO calls this anti-submarine system a “Game Changer”. Find out why…

First, a bit of scientific background

How smart are you to understand the SMART System (Supersonic Missile Assisted Release of Torpedo system)? We did have Torpedoes (A cigar-shaped self-propelled weapon launched from a submarine, surface vessel, or airplane and designed for exploding upon contact with the hulls of surface vessels and submarines) earlier, but they were limited greatly by their range.

To overcome this weakness DRDO (Defence Research and Development Organisation) started a program in 2010 to build a system capable of launching torpedoes assisted by missiles. A missile is a weapon that is self-directed by remote control carrying a conventional or nuclear explosive.

This new system was successfully flight-tested at 1145 hours from APJ Abdul Kalam Island(Wheeler Island) on 5th October 2020 off the coast of Odisha. It achieved all the objectives successfully. You must be wondering how an island is named after some person? Well, it was a tribute to our former President on his second death anniversary.

So, how smart is SMART?

• SMART takes off like a regular supersonic missile when launched and it covers most of its flight in the air at lower altitudes. But its two-way data link provides the exact location of the target and it can correct its path accordingly just before approaching the target close enough.
  
• Not only that but also the torpedo with a normal range of a few kilometres can be sent a distance of 1000 km by the missile system now. WOW!! Isn’t it amazing?

A Game Changer

But why is the launch of the SMART system such a big thing? Because it is considered as a breakthrough for stand-off capability in anti-submarine warfare and it also strengthens the maritime strategic capacity of our country. Also, this development is crucial considering the growing influence of China in the Indian Ocean region according to DRDO Chairman Dr. G Sathesh Reddy.

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