Supersonic Missile Assisted Release of Torpedo (SMART) System – UPSC Prelims

SMART system:

• Torpedoes are self-propelled weapons that travel underwater to hit a target but are limited by their range.
• In the mid-2010s, DRDO undertook a project to build capacity to launch torpedoes assisted by missiles; Monday’s was the first known flight test of the system.
• This SMART system comprises a mechanism by which the torpedo is launched from a supersonic missile system with modifications that would take the torpedo to a far longer range than its own.
• For example, a torpedo with a range of a few kilometres can be sent a distance to the tune of 1000 km by the missile system from where the torpedo is launched.
• Significance:
  • SMART is a game-changing technology demonstration in anti-submarine warfare.
  • India’s anti-submarine warfare capacity building is crucial in light of China’s growing influence in the Indian Ocean region.
  • Assets of such warfare consist of the deployment of submarines, specialised anti-submarine ships, air assets and state-of-the-art reconnaissance and detection mechanisms.
  • The Navy’s anti-submarine warfare capability got a boost in June after the conclusion of a contract for Advanced Torpedo Decoy System Maareech, capable of being fired from all frontline warships.
  • India has been indigenously developing and building several anti-submarine systems and vessels in the recent past.