India conducted the flight test of a Supersonic Missile Assisted Release of Torpedo (SMART) system.
What are Torpedoes?
Torpedoes are self-propelled weapons that travel underwater to hit a target.
They are limited by their range.
What is SMART system?
The SMART system is developed by the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO).
The system has a mechanism by which the torpedo is launched from a supersonic missile system with changes that would take the torpedo to a far longer range than its own.
The system also gives flexibility in terms of the missile system’s launch platform.
Who were involved in the development?
A number of DRDO laboratories have developed the technologies required for SMART. They are,
Defence Research and Development Laboratory (DRDL) and Research Centre Imarat (RCI), both in Hyderabad;
Aerial Delivery Research and Development Establishment, Agra;
Naval Science and Technology Laboratory (NSTL) Visakhapatnam.
What is the significance?
SMART is a game-changing technology demonstration in anti-submarine warfare.
India’s anti-submarine warfare capacity building is crucial in light of China’s growing influence in the Indian Ocean region.
The Navy’s anti-submarine warfare capability got a boost after the conclusion of a contract for Advanced Torpedo Decoy System Maareech.
[Maareech is capable of being fired from all frontline warships.]
India has been indigenously developing and building several anti-submarine systems and vessels in the recent past.
[In January 2020, DRDO conducted two tests of the K Family missiles.]
The capability of launching nuclear weapons from submarine platforms has strategic importance in light of the “no first use” policy of India.
These submarines can not only survive a first strike by an adversary but also can launch a strike in retaliation.
The nuclear-powered Arihant submarine and its class members in the pipeline are assets capable of launching missiles with nuclear warheads.
