Key Terms & Concepts — UPSC Mains
RudraM-II
"India's indigenously developed hypersonic air-to-surface anti-radiation missile (Mach 5.5, ~300 km range), successfully tested June 2, 2026 from a Su-30MKI over the Bay of Bengal"
RudraM-II is an indigenously developed air-to-surface anti-radiation missile (ARM) designed and developed by the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO). It was successfully flight-tested on 2 June 2026 from a Sukhoi Su-30MKI fighter aircraft over the Bay of Bengal. RudraM-II is the successor to RudraM-I (range ~150 km) and is designed for Suppression of Enemy Air Defences (SEAD) missions — it homes onto enemy radar emissions, destroying radar installations and surface-to-air missile systems before India's aircraft enter hostile airspace. RudraM-II has a range of approximately 300 km and travels at Mach 5.5, classifying it as a hypersonic missile. It uses a passive homing head that locks onto the electromagnetic emissions of enemy radar, making it highly accurate against active radar systems. The missile will be integrated with the Indian Air Force (IAF) to enhance its suppression and destruction of enemy air defence (SEAD/DEAD) capabilities.
RudraM-II is a significant GS3 (science and technology, defence indigenisation) and GS2 (security doctrine) topic. As a hypersonic anti-radiation missile, it directly enhances India's ability to degrade Pakistan's and China's air defence networks before offensive air operations. It also reflects India's Make in India in defence — reducing dependence on imported ARMs like the Russian Kh-58. Key UPSC angles: anti-radiation missile concept, SEAD operations, hypersonic weapons race, and DRDO's expanding missile portfolio.
- 1 Developed by DRDO; successfully tested June 2, 2026 from Su-30MKI over Bay of Bengal
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- 5 Passive homing seeker locks onto electromagnetic emissions of active radar systems
- 6 Will be integrated with IAF Su-30MKI fleet
- 7 Part of DRDO's RudraM family — RudraM-I (shorter range ARM), RudraM-III (in development)
- 8 Reduces India's dependence on imported anti-radiation missiles
In a hypothetical conflict scenario, before Indian strike aircraft cross the Line of Control, IAF Su-30MKIs would launch RudraM-II missiles at enemy air defence radar sites 250 km away — the missiles passively track the radar's own emissions and destroy it, creating a radar-blackout corridor for the strike package to pass through safely.
