Indian Navy Showcases Power in Arabian Sea: INS Surat’s MR-SAM Test Highlights Maritime Dominance

In a clear show of deterrence amidst rising regional tensions, the Indian Navy conducted a live firing of its Medium-Range Surface-to-Air Missile (MR-SAM). The test took place in the turbulent waters of the Arabian Sea, where the Indian Navy’s advanced guided-missile destroyer, INS Surat, executed the launch of the MR-SAM system, a sophisticated air defense platform developed in collaboration with Israel’s leading aerospace company.

The MR-SAM missile, designed to counter threats within a range of 70 to 100 kilometers, successfully intercepted and destroyed its target, highlighting its crucial role in neutralizing enemy aircraft and incoming missile attacks.

“The Indian Navy ship successfully conducted multiple missile tests, showcasing platform readiness, crew expertise, and the ability to perform long-range strikes,” the Navy stated through its official X (formerly Twitter) account. This missile exercise occurs during a period of escalating hostilities between India and Pakistan.

A senior government official, as reported by local media, noted, “The recent anti-ship missile firing demonstrated the vessel’s capability to transition from peacetime to combat operations while remaining at sea without returning to base ports.

The MR-SAM is a sophisticated air defense missile system that represents a high-tech partnership between Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) and India’s Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO). It combines advanced Israeli radar technology with India’s strategic design needs. Specifically designed to counter a variety of aerial threats—including fighter jets, attack helicopters, stealth drones, and precision-guided cruise missiles—the MR-SAM utilizes cutting-edge Active Electronically Scanned Array (AESA) radar for the detection, classification, and neutralization of threats with exceptional accuracy in hostile and electronic warfare environments.

The missile features a high-explosive fragmentation warhead activated by a proximity fuse to enhance the likelihood of destroying maneuvering targets. With speeds surpassing Mach 2, the MR-SAM provides a swift response to rapid aerial threats, granting a crucial time advantage in contested airspaces.

Additionally, it operates on a ‘fire-and-forget’ basis, allowing operators to disengage from continuous guidance and minimizing vulnerability to enemy countermeasures. Its seamless integration with early warning systems and long-range air defense platforms like the Barak-8 further establishes the MR-SAM as a vital component of multi-layered air defense systems that protect essential national assets.

Its tactical mobility enables quick redeployment to high-risk areas, making it an essential defense for military bases, economic centers, and critical maritime chokepoints. Currently, the MR-SAM is a key element in the aerial defense strategies of India, Israel, Azerbaijan, and other nations focused on security in an era of increasingly sophisticated airborne threats.

The INS Surat (D69), a symbol of India’s naval modernization efforts, is part of the powerful Visakhapatnam-class, a series of destroyers engineered for dominance across air, surface, and subsurface domains.

Built by Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders Limited (MDL) in Mumbai, INS Surat was launched on May 17, 2022, marking a significant milestone in India’s ambitious Project-15B initiative aimed at enhancing its blue-water naval capabilities. Equipped with array of weaponry, including the BrahMos supersonic cruise missile, MR-SAM air defense systems, heavyweight torpedoes, and anti-submarine rockets, this destroyer represents a powerful combination of offensive and defensive capabilities.

Its advanced electronic systems feature the Israeli MF-STAR AESA radar, which provides accurate multi-target tracking and interception, positioning INS Surat as one of the most formidable surface combatants in the Indo-Pacific region. In addition to its kinetic weaponry, the ship is outfitted with state-of-the-art electronic warfare systems, sophisticated HUMSA-NG sonar arrays for underwater surveillance, and helicopters designed for anti-submarine missions, ensuring comprehensive dominance in three-dimensional battle scenarios.

Weighing around 7,400 tonnes and measuring 163 meters in length, INS Surat can reach speeds of up to 30 knots and has an operational range exceeding 7,000 kilometers, allowing it to project power across vital maritime routes.