Rudram (meaning “remover of sorrows”) is India’s first anti-radiation missile (ARM). It is an Air-to-Surface missile developed by the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO).
The first rendition, the Rudram-1 missile, primarily aims at Suppression of Enemy Air Defenses (SEAD). This consists of destroying enemy communication systems, surveillance radar stations with an operational range of approximately 250 km and a maximum speed of 2 Mach- double the speed of sound.
Beyond this, Rudram-2 and Rudram-3, with ranges of 350 and 550 km, respectively, are also under development.
While developed by DRDO, the indigenous weapons are jointly produced by Bharat Dynamics Limited (BDL) and Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL).
Rudram will provide air superiority tactical capability to the IAF jets. .
Little is known about the features of the advanced versions of Rudram– namely, Rudram-2 and Rudram-3. It is believed that both also have INS-GPS navigation and come equipped with a passive homing head.
Lesser amount of information is available about Rudram-3.
