(Bloomberg) -- India conducted its first successful test of a long-range hypersonic missile, bringing the country a step closer toward deploying a high-tech weapon that’s in the arsenal of only a handful of countries.
The Defence Research and Development Organisation conducted the test late Saturday off the coast of the state of Odisha, the Indian government said in a statement Sunday. The missile is designed to carry payloads over 1,500 kilometers (932 miles), it said.
Defense Minister Rajnath Singh called the test a “major milestone” for India.
“This is a historic moment and this significant achievement has put our country in the group of select nations having capabilities of such critical and advanced military technologies,” he said in a post on X.
Hypersonic missiles are fast, low-flying weapons designed to be too quick and agile for traditional defense systems to detect. Unlike ballistic missiles, they don’t follow a predetermined, arched trajectory and can maneuver on the way to their target.
China, the US and Russia currently have the most advanced hypersonic missile capabilities. In addition to India, other countries researching the technology include Japan, Australia, France, Germany and North Korea.
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