New Delhi: In a significant step towards bolstering undersea warfare capabilities, the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) and the Indian Navy have successfully conducted combat firing trials of the indigenously developed Multi-Influence Ground Mine (MIGM).
The test, carried out with reduced explosives, comes amid heightened tensions with Pakistan following a deadly terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir.
The sophisticated underwater mine, designed to target modern stealth submarines and warships, has been developed by the Naval Science & Technological Laboratory (NSTL), Visakhapatnam. The project saw collaboration from other DRDO units, including the High Energy Materials Research Laboratory in Pune and the Terminal Ballistics Research Laboratory in Chandigarh.
Bharat Dynamics Limited (Visakhapatnam) and Apollo Microsystems Limited (Hyderabad) are the system’s production partners.
Congratulating the teams involved, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh remarked that the successful trial marks a leap forward in India’s maritime defence. “This system will significantly boost the Indian Navy’s undersea warfare prowess,” he said.
Secretary of Defence R&D and DRDO Chairman Dr. Samir V Kamat confirmed that the successful validation trial paves the way for the mine’s formal induction into the Navy.
The trial coincided with growing unrest between India and Pakistan in the wake of the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack, which claimed the lives of 26 people, predominantly non-Muslim tourists.
In a related development, the Ministry of Home Affairs announced a nationwide mega security exercise involving 259 locations across India, including sensitive border regions like Rajasthan and West Bengal. Slated for Wednesday, the drill will be the most extensive of its kind since 1971, when India and Pakistan last engaged in full-scale war.
According to an official notification, the exercise will reach down to the village level and aims to evaluate and reinforce civil defence preparedness across all states and Union Territories.
