NEW DELHI — The Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) successfully conducted the maiden flight trial of its indigenous Supersonic Target (STAR) missile in November 2025, according to the Ministry of Defence’s annual report.
The STAR programme is designed to provide the Indian armed forces with a high-speed aerial target for testing and training air-defence systems, radars, tracking equipment and missile interceptors against supersonic threats.
The system is powered by an indigenous Liquid Fuelled Ramjet (LFRJ) engine developed by the Defence Research and Development Laboratory (DRDL), Hyderabad. The STAR uses a two-stage propulsion system, with a solid rocket booster providing initial acceleration before the liquid-fuelled ramjet takes over for sustained supersonic flight.
Key Development Milestones
During 2025, DRDO completed qualification testing of the STAR's onboard avionics, including its navigation, flight-control and telemetry systems. The dedicated launcher and catapult system were also developed and qualified.
Static propulsion testing was completed up to the stage of ramjet ignition before the November 2025 flight trial.
The STAR is designed to operate at speeds of Mach 1.8 to Mach 2.5, with an altitude range of approximately 100 metres to 10 kilometres. Its stated operational range is 55 to 175 kilometres, while available programme information gives flight durations of 50 to 200 seconds.
The system can conduct different flight profiles, including low-altitude and sea-skimming trajectories, allowing air-defence systems to be tested against high-speed targets under different conditions.
The programme also supports India's development of indigenous liquid-fuelled ramjet technology. Work has been reported on possible air-launched configurations, although the primary role of STAR remains that of a supersonic target.
The successful November 2025 flight, together with the completion of avionics qualification, launcher and catapult development, and static ramjet testing, represents significant progress in the STAR programme.
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