NEW DELHI: India has successfully carried out flight trials of UAV Launched Precision Guided Missile (ULPGM)-V3 in the National Open Area Range (NOAR), a test range in Kurnool, Andhra Pradesh.Defence minister Rajnath Singh congratulated the team and said that this success proves that the Indian industry is now ready to absorb and produce critical Defence Technologies.
“In a major boost to India’s defence capabilities, @DRDO_India has successfully carried out flight trials of UAV Launched Precision Guided Missile (ULPGM)-V3 in the National Open Area Range (NOAR), test range in Kurnool, Andhra Pradesh. Congratulations to DRDO and the industry partners, DcPPs, MSMEs and Start-ups for the development and successful trials of the ULPGM-V3 system. This success proves that the Indian industry is now ready to absorb and produce critical Defence Technologies,” Singh said in a post on X. The ULPGM-V3, an extended-range variant, also referred to as ULM-ER was showcased at the Aero India 2025 show, which was held in Bangalore from 10 to 14 February.
Key details
- The ULM-ER, an extended-range variant of DRDO’s UAV-Launched Precision Guided Munition (ULPGM) air-to-surface missile, features passive homing with an imaging infrared (IR) seeker for both day and night operations, according to DRDO website citing Janes news.
- The 12.5 kg fire-and-forget missile is powered by a small dualthrust solid propulsion unit, enabling it to achieve a maximum range of 4 km during the day and 2.5 km at night.
- Communication is facilitated via a two-way datalink. With multiple warhead options, the munition is designed to engage various static and moving targets.
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Adani and Bharat Dynamics Limited (BDL) are key manufacturing partners for the ULPGM project, while the DRDO is responsible for the development and testing of the munitions. - There are three known ULPGM variants: ULPGM V1 (baseline), ULPGM V2 (production variant, also known as ULPGM), and ULPGM V3 (extended-range variant, also referred to as ULM-ER).
- The primary differences between V1, V2, and V3 lie in enhancements to guidance systems, performance, and range.