SOURCE: RAUNAK KUNDE / NEWS BEAT / IDRW.ORG
India’s naval strike capabilities are set to receive a significant boost as the Naval Anti-Ship Missile-Medium Range (NASM-MR), showcased as a scaled model at Aero India 2025, prepares to commence developmental trials. This indigenous missile, developed by the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), is poised to become India’s first air-launched anti-ship missile with a range exceeding 350 km. Unveiled at the prestigious airshow held in Bengaluru, the NASM-MR promises to redefine maritime warfare with its advanced technology and stealth features, strengthening the Indian Navy’s ability to counter threats in contested waters.
The NASM-MR stands out as a high subsonic sea-skimming missile, powered by a scaled-down derivative of the Manik turbofan engine, developed by DRDO’s Gas Turbine Research Establishment (GTRE). This engine, tailored for efficiency and endurance, enables the missile to maintain a high subsonic speed—approaching Mach 0.9—while covering distances over 350 km. This range marks a significant leap over existing indigenous systems like the NASM-SR (55 km) and positions the NASM-MR as a direct competitor to global benchmarks such as the American Harpoon and the French Exocet while offering greater reach than many contemporaries.
Designed for launch from aircraft such as the Indian Navy’s MiG-29K and the soon-to-be-inducted Rafale M, the NASM-MR provides a versatile, over-the-horizon strike capability. Its extended range allows naval aviators to engage enemy warships—such as frigates, corvettes, and destroyers—from a safe standoff distance, keeping launch platforms beyond the reach of most ship-based air defenses.
A key highlight of the NASM-MR is its state-of-the-art guidance system, featuring an Active Electronically Scanned Array (AESA) seeker. This advanced radar technology enhances the missile’s ability to detect and track targets with precision, even in cluttered maritime environments. The AESA seeker is engineered to evade anti-missile systems deployed on modern warships, offering resistance to electronic countermeasures and anti-jamming attempts that could disrupt its navigation system. This ensures the missile remains on course, even against adversaries employing sophisticated radar jamming techniques.
Once launched, the NASM-MR adopts a unique “Low-Low-Low” stealth trajectory, a flight profile that keeps it just meters above the sea surface in high sea states. According to insights shared with idrw.org at Aero India 2025, this sea-skimming approach minimizes the missile’s radar cross-section, making it nearly invisible to the target warship’s radar until the final moments of its approach. Only when it nears its target does the missile execute a “pop-up” maneuver, climbing briefly to strike the most vulnerable sections of the warship—such as the command and control center or weapons systems—maximizing damage and mission success.
This NASM-MR integration aligns with the Navy’s strategy to phase out older systems like the Kh-35 Uran and eventually complement the supersonic BrahMos with a subsonic, stealth-focused alternative. The missile’s relatively lightweight design—estimated at around 400-450 kg, based on its NASM-SR predecessor and the scaled-down Manik engine—ensures it can be carried in multiples by these aircraft, potentially allowing a single sortie to engage multiple targets. This capability will be critical in swarm scenarios or engagements against enemy flotillas.
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