Long Range Land Attack Cruise Missile (LRLACM)

Defence Research & Development Organisation (DRDO) conducted a successful flight-test of Long Range Land Attack Cruise Missile (LRLACM) from Dr APJ Abdul Kalam Island off the coast of Odisha on June 15, 2026.
All the test objectives were fully met, as per the data captured by various tracking instruments deployed by Integrated Test Range, Chandipur.
The LRLACM is an indigenously developed missile with all sub-systems developed by various DRDO laboratories and Indian Industry partners.
Aeronautical Development Establishment, Bengaluru is the Nodal Laboratory.
About six metres long and weighing roughly a tonne, the missile uses waypoint navigation and terrain-following capabilities to strike targets at extended ranges. Its ability to fly at low altitudes, manoeuvre in flight and adopt sea-skimming profiles enhances survivability against modern air-defence and radar networks.
Powered by the indigenous Manik Small Turbofan Engine, the missile is being configured for launch from mobile ground launchers and naval vertical launch systems. Development of an air-launched variant is also underway.
LR-LACM has an estimated range of 1,000-1,500 km, placing it in the category of long-range land-attack cruise missiles fielded by major military powers.
The requirement for such a capability has become increasingly important as modern militaries place greater emphasis on conventional long-range precision strikes. The missile is intended to engage high-value targets such as command centres, air bases, logistics hubs, radar stations and air-defence networks deep inside hostile territory without exposing launch platforms to enemy defences.
For India, the LRLACM is expected to complement rather than replace the BrahMos. While the BrahMos offers a high-speed strike capability, the LR-LACM is meant to provide a longer-range, terrain-hugging option capable of penetrating heavily defended airspace and sustaining conventional deep-strike operations.
The Navy’s interest is particularly significant. Once integrated with universal vertical launch systems being adopted across frontline warships, the missile will allow Indian naval platforms operating in the Arabian Sea or Bay of Bengal to hold strategic targets hundreds of kilometres inland at risk without entering contested waters.
With the LR-LACM, India is moving towards fielding a capability already possessed by a handful of major military powers. The United States operates the Tomahawk land-attack cruise missile, Russia fields the Kalibr family, while China deploys the CJ-10 as part of its long-range conventional strike arsenal. Pakistan, too, has inducted successive variants of the Babur cruise missile.
The missile traces its origins to the Nirbhay programme launched in 2013. Several Nirbhay developmental trials suffered setbacks involving propulsion, navigation and flight-control systems, forcing DRDO to repeatedly redesign critical subsystems. Those efforts eventually yielded the indigenous Manik turbofan engine along with a range of guidance, navigation and terrain-following technologies that now underpin the LRLACM.
Those technological gains have reduced India’s dependence on imported propulsion systems and laid the foundation for a family of indigenous long-range cruise missiles.