With Cyclone Hudhud out of the way, the Advanced Systems Laboratory will conduct the second test firing of the Nirbhay long range (800-1,000 km range) subsonic cruise missile off the Indian east coast tomorrow morning. The first flight of the system in March last year wasn't a success, with a ring laser gyro (RLG) in the inertial navigation system malfunctioning minutes into the flight, throwing the missile off course, and triggering an emergency abort from the ground. The program team spent seven months studying the glitch and fixing it in the guidance system on the second prototype that flies tomorrow.
Earlier this year, DRDO chief Dr Avinash Chander had told Vayu Aerospace "The system had actually performed flawlessly, from take of to cruise, carrying out manoeuvers and meeting all parameters except towards the end when a gyro malfunctioned and the missile dropped into the shallow waters of the coast. The problem was identified after its recovery and suitable modifacations made."
Stay tuned for photographs and video.
Earlier this year, DRDO chief Dr Avinash Chander had told Vayu Aerospace "The system had actually performed flawlessly, from take of to cruise, carrying out manoeuvers and meeting all parameters except towards the end when a gyro malfunctioned and the missile dropped into the shallow waters of the coast. The problem was identified after its recovery and suitable modifacations made."
Stay tuned for photographs and video.