Balasore, Odisha:
India today test-fired its first cruise missile, named Nirbhay. The development trial of this indigenously developed sub-sonic cruise missile took place from the Integrated Test Range at Chandipur near in Balasore district in Odisha.
The missile, under development since 2007, has a range of 1,000 km.
Though India has the technology of supersonic missiles like BrahMos jointly developed by India and Russia, Nirbhay with a medium range is a different kind of missile being developed by the Aeronautical Development Establishment, a Defence Research and Development Organisation laboratory based at Bangalore.
Nirbhay has good loitering capability, control and guidance, a high degree of accuracy in terms of impact and very good stealth features, ITR sources said.
The district administration had arranged for temporary evacuation of 453 families comprising 2586 adults and 698 children residing within a two km radius of Launch Pad-3 at the ITR to shelters nearby during the test-fire as a safety measure, a district revenue officer said.
The families would be compensated for the temporary evacuation, he said.