Overview
- The Defence Research and Development Organisation and the Indian Air Force carried out an airborne flight test that launched RudraM‑II from a Su‑30MKI and struck a predefined target, with officials saying the trial met all objectives on Tuesday, June 2, 2026.
- Test engineers ran the missile through extreme release and critical‑trajectory conditions and said flight data recorded by the Integrated Test Range at Chandipur confirmed the performance of guidance, propulsion and other subsystems.
- Published specifications across reports describe RudraM‑II as a solid‑propelled, Mach 5.5 anti‑radiation missile with a reported range of about 300–350 km, a warhead capacity near 200 kg, launch from 3–15 km altitude, and hybrid guidance using INS, GPS and a passive homing seeker.
- Research Centre Imarat in Hyderabad led development with several DRDO labs, test support from ITR Chandipur and industry partners including Hindustan Aeronautics Limited and Development‑cum‑Production Partners that will be needed to move the design into production and service integration.
- The missile is intended to strengthen the Indian Air Force's suppression of enemy air defences by targeting radar and comms systems and is expected to gradually replace older Kh‑31 stocks while follow‑on work continues on integration, production and longer‑range RudraM variants.