India has taken another important step towards strengthening its indigenous defence capabilities under the Aatmanirbhar Bharat initiative.
The Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) has successfully completed the final development trials of the Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Launched Precision Guided Missile (ULPGM)-V3, marking a significant achievement for the country’s defence sector.
The trials were conducted in both air-to-ground and air-to-air modes at the DRDO test range near Kurnool. During the tests, the missile system was operated through an advanced integrated Ground Control System (GCS) designed to automate launch and operational readiness. The trials successfully demonstrated the missile’s precision strike capability, reliability and effectiveness in varied combat scenarios.
The missile was developed by Research Centre Imarat (RCI) in collaboration with other DRDO laboratories. Developed entirely within the country, the project highlights the growing strength of India’s domestic defence manufacturing ecosystem with the participation of MSMEs and private industries under the Aatmanirbhar Bharat initiative.
For production, DRDO has partnered with Bharat Dynamics Limited and Adani Defence and Aerospace. The missile system was integrated on UAVs developed by NewSpace Research and Technologies for the trials.
The successful completion of the tests has cleared the way for serial production of the missile system, further strengthening India’s indigenous defence capabilities.
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh has complimented the DRDO, public sector undertakings, defence production partners and industry for the successful development trials of ULPGM-V3.
He highlighted its effectiveness in air-to-ground mode for anti-tank roles and air-to-air mode against drones, helicopters and other airborne targets. Mr Singh termed it a strategic milestone achieved towards Aatmanirbhar Bharat in defence.
