India's Navy is on the verge of a major upgrade in its offensive capabilities. The indigenously developed Naval Anti-Ship Missile-Medium Range (NASM-MR), is set to begin developmental trials.
This missile, designed by the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), is slated to be India's first air-launched anti-ship missile with a range greater than 350 kilometers. A model of NASM-MR was displayed at the Aero India 2025 show in Bengaluru.
The NASM-MR is a sea-skimming missile that travels at high subsonic speeds. It is powered by a modified version of the Manik turbofan engine, created by the DRDO's Gas Turbine Research Establishment (GTRE).
This specially designed engine allows the missile to reach speeds close to Mach 0.9 (nearly the speed of sound) and cover distances over 350 kilometers. This range significantly exceeds that of existing Indian systems like the NASM-SR (55 km) and puts the NASM-MR in the same class as internationally recognized missiles like the American Harpoon and the French Exocet, while surpassing the range of many others.
The NASM-MR is intended to be launched from naval aircraft, including the Indian Navy's MiG-29K and the Rafale M, which is expected to be inducted soon. This gives the Navy a flexible, long-range strike option. The missile's extended range allows pilots to attack enemy ships, such as frigates, corvettes, and destroyers, from a safe distance, keeping the aircraft out of range of most ship defenses.
A crucial feature of the NASM-MR is its advanced guidance system, which includes an Active Electronically Scanned Array (AESA) seeker. This sophisticated radar technology allows the missile to accurately detect and track targets, even in complex maritime situations.
The AESA seeker is designed to resist electronic countermeasures, such as jamming, that could interfere with its navigation. This helps ensure the missile stays on target, even when facing enemies with advanced radar jamming capabilities.
AESA radar is a type of phased array radar whose transmitter and receiver functions are composed of numerous small solid-state transmit/receive modules (TRMs). AESA radars aim their "beam" by emitting separate radio waves from each module that interfere constructively at certain angles in front of the antenna.
The NASM-MR uses a "Low-Low-Low" stealth flight path after launch. This means it flies just a few meters above the sea surface, even in rough sea conditions. This sea-skimming approach, as revealed at Aero India 2025, greatly reduces the missile's visibility to enemy radar, making it extremely difficult to detect until the final stages of its approach.
Just before reaching its target, the missile performs a "pop-up" maneuver, climbing briefly to hit the most vulnerable parts of the ship, like the command center or weapons systems. This maximizes damage and increases the chances of a successful mission.
The integration of the NASM-MR is part of the Navy's plan to replace older systems, such as the Kh-35 Uran, and to eventually provide a stealthy, subsonic alternative to the supersonic BrahMos missile.
The NASM-MR is relatively lightweight (estimated to be between 400-450 kg), which means that aircraft can carry several of them at once. This allows a single flight to potentially engage multiple targets, a crucial capability in scenarios involving multiple enemy ships or attacks against enemy groups.
This is beneficial for "Swarm Attacks". Swarm attacks in naval warfare involve overwhelming an enemy's defenses by launching a large number of missiles or drones simultaneously or in quick succession.
