India's Defense Research and Development Organization (DRDO) has successfully launched a domestically produced guided missile from an unmanned aerial vehicle, the country's defense ministry announced. "DRDO has completed trials of the final serial production configuration of the ULPGM-V3 (unmanned aerial vehicle-launched precision guided missile)," the ministry said.
The tests were conducted in air-to-ground and air-to-air modes at the DRDO firing range near Kurnool in the southern Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. "During the tests, an integrated ground control system (GCS) was used to control the ULPGM missile system.
The GCS uses advanced technologies that automate the launch preparation processes and the launch itself,” the Indian Ministry of Defense said. "The missile was produced exclusively by the Indian defense industry with the participation of a wide range of small and medium-sized businesses as well as other industrial organizations. The test results confirmed the full maturity of the local production chain, which is ready for the immediate deployment of serial mass production," the department added.
