- Overview: Cementing its underwater strike dominance, the Indian Navy successfully test-fired the advanced ‘Varunastra Mk2’ Heavy Weight Torpedo from a submerged stealth submarine, destroying a simulated target at maximum range.
- Key Points:
- Indigenous Firepower: Designed and developed by the Naval Science and Technological Laboratory (NSTL) under DRDO, the Varunastra is an electrically propelled, anti-submarine torpedo capable of targeting stealth submarines in deep and shallow waters.
- Advanced Seeker Tech: The Mk2 variant features an AI-backed acoustic homing seeker, allowing it to autonomously track and hunt enemy submarines even in heavily jammed, counter-measure environments.
- Extended Range & Speed: It operates at speeds exceeding 40 knots, ensuring that hostile submarines cannot outrun the munition once a lock-on is achieved.
- Strategic Shift: This successful test clears the path for the mass induction of Varunastra across all Sindhughosh and Kalvari class submarines, eliminating reliance on imported torpedoes.
- Q1. The ‘Varunastra’, developed by DRDO for the Indian Navy, is primarily categorized as a:
- A) Submarine-launched ballistic missile (SLBM)
- B) Ship-launched anti-aircraft missile
- C) Heavy-weight anti-submarine torpedo
- D) Unmanned underwater surveillance drone
