Indian Navy Flexes Muscle in Arabian Sea: INS Surat’s MR-SAM Test Underscores Maritime Supremacy

(DEFENCE SECURITY ASIA) — In a stark demonstration of deterrence amid escalating regional tensions, the Indian Navy successfully carried out a live firing of its Medium-Range Surface-to-Air Missile (MR-SAM), sending a resolute and unmistakable signal to Pakistan following the recent tragic events in Pahalgam, Jammu and Kashmir.

Conducted in the volatile waters of the Arabian Sea, the test saw the Indian Navy’s cutting-edge guided-missile destroyer, INS Surat, executing the launch of the MR-SAM system, a sophisticated air defence platform jointly developed with Israel’s premier aerospace giant.

The MR-SAM missile, engineered to neutralize threats within a 70 to 100-kilometer envelope, accurately intercepted and obliterated its intended target, underscoring its pivotal role in neutralizing enemy aircraft and incoming missile salvos.

“The Indian Navy ship successfully executed multiple missile tests, demonstrating platform readiness, crew proficiency, and capability to conduct long-range strikes,” the Navy announced via its official X (formerly Twitter) account.

The missile exercise unfolds at a time of spiralling hostilities between India and Pakistan, exacerbated by the brutal killing of 26 civilians, mainly tourists, in the picturesque but volatile town of Pahalgam.

New Delhi has swiftly blamed Islamabad and its proxy militant networks for orchestrating the Pahalgam massacre, reigniting deep-rooted geopolitical animosities in the contested region of Jammu and Kashmir.

A senior government official, cited by local media, remarked, “The latest anti-ship missile firing displayed the vessel’s role switch capability from peacetime to combat while remaining at sea without entering base ports.”

The MR-SAM, an advanced air defence missile system, embodies the high-technology collaboration between Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) and India’s Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), blending cutting-edge Israeli radar expertise with India’s strategic design imperatives.

Purpose-built to confront an array of aerial adversaries—ranging from fighter jets and attack helicopters to stealthy drones and precision-guided cruise missiles—the MR-SAM employs state-of-the-art Active Electronically Scanned Array (AESA) radar to detect, classify, and eliminate threats with surgical precision across hostile and electronic warfare-intensive environments.

The missile’s warhead comprises a high-explosive fragmentation payload, triggered by a proximity fuze to maximize the probability of kill against maneuvering targets.

With blistering speeds exceeding Mach 2, the MR-SAM ensures rapid reaction against swift aerial incursions, offering a critical time advantage in contested airspaces.

Further elevating its combat prowess, the MR-SAM operates under “fire-and-forget” principles, liberating operators from continuous guidance requirements and reducing exposure to enemy countermeasures.

Seamless integration with early warning networks and long-range air defence systems like the Barak-8 further positions MR-SAM as a cornerstone of multi-tiered air defence architectures safeguarding critical national assets.

Its tactical mobility allows rapid redeployment to high-threat zones, making it an indispensable shield for military installations, economic hubs, and key maritime chokepoints.

Today, MR-SAM stands as a strategic linchpin in the aerial defence matrices of India, Israel, Azerbaijan, and other security-conscious nations navigating an era marked by increasingly complex airborne threats.

The INS Surat (D69), an embodiment of India’s naval modernisation drive, belongs to the formidable Visakhapatnam-class—a generation of destroyers designed to achieve supremacy across air, surface, and subsurface domains.

Constructed by Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders Limited (MDL) in Mumbai, INS Surat was launched on May 17, 2022, crowning India’s ambitious Project-15B programme aimed at reinforcing its blue-water maritime capabilities.

Fitted with an arsenal that includes the BrahMos supersonic cruise missile, MR-SAM air defence batteries, heavyweight torpedoes, and anti-submarine rockets, the destroyer embodies a potent amalgam of offensive and defensive might.

Its electronic suite is headlined by the Israeli MF-STAR AESA radar system, enabling precise multi-target tracking and interception capabilities, establishing INS Surat as one of the most formidable surface combatants across the Indo-Pacific naval theatre.

Complementing its kinetic arsenal, the ship features cutting-edge electronic warfare systems, advanced HUMSA-NG sonar arrays for undersea surveillance, and embarked helicopters optimized for anti-submarine operations, delivering comprehensive three-dimensional battlespace dominance.

Displacing approximately 7,400 tonnes and stretching 163 meters in length, INS Surat boasts a top speed of 30 knots and an operational endurance exceeding 7,000 kilometers, granting it strategic reach across critical maritime corridors.

Named after the ancient port city of Surat, a symbol of India’s rich maritime legacy, the vessel underscores New Delhi’s intent to project power and secure its vast maritime interests in the Indian Ocean.

As strategic rivalry intensifies—particularly against the backdrop of China’s expanding naval footprint in the Indian Ocean Region and the contested South China Sea—the deployment of INS Surat significantly augments India’s ability to uphold freedom of navigation and regional stability.

— DEFENCE SECURITY ASIA