SOURCE: RAUNAK KUNDE / NEWS BEAT / IDRW.ORG
India’s Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) has set the defence community abuzz with a striking poster showcased at a recent event, depicting a single Su-30 MKI fighter jet armed with four RudraM-III air-to-surface missiles in a formidable Heavy Strike Mode configuration—two missiles mounted under each wing.
Developed by DRDO’s Defence Research and Development Laboratory (DRDL) in Hyderabad, the RudraM-III is designed to neutralize heavily fortified military installations, including enemy radar installations, bunkers, buildings, shelters, and other critical infrastructure.
The RudraM-III, part of the Rudram family of air-to-surface missiles, is tailored for the Suppression of Enemy Air Defences (SEAD) and ground attack roles. Unlike its predecessors—RudraM-I (anti-radiation, 200 km range) and RudraM-II (hypersonic, 300 km range)—the RudraM-III is engineered for extended reach and enhanced lethality, with a reported range of 550–600 km and a 200 kg warhead.
Equipped with advanced guidance systems—including an Inertial Navigation System (INS), GPS, and a potential Imaging Infrared (IIR) seeker for terminal precision—the RudraM-III boasts 16 control surfaces (eight mid-body, eight tail) for high manoeuvrability. This design, combined with a dual-pulsed solid rocket motor, enables hypersonic speeds (estimated at Mach 5+) and a semi-ballistic trajectory, making it elusive to enemy defences. The missile’s versatility shines in its dual-role capability: an anti-radiation variant to silence radar emissions and a ground-attack variant with a Penetration-Cum-Blast (PCB) warhead to obliterate fortified structures.
This Heavy Strike Mode transforms the Su-30 MKI into a deep-strike platform capable of hitting multiple high-value targets in a single sortie. With a combat radius exceeding 1,500 km (extendable with aerial refuelling), the jet can launch RudraM-IIIs from standoff distances, neutralizing air defences and infrastructure up to 550 km away while staying beyond the reach of most surface-to-air missile (SAM) systems. The configuration suggests a shift toward saturation strikes, overwhelming enemy defences with simultaneous engagements—a tactic increasingly vital against adversaries with layered air defence networks.
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