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Supporting the Hague Code of Conduct

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In-depth report

India’s Hypersonic Evolution: From Concept to Capability

India’s hypersonic ambition is on the verge of becoming a reality. This ambition that India has harboured since the 1990s is probably going to see the light of day sooner rather than later. On 30 April 2026, the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) Chairman, Samir V Kamat, made an important reference regarding India’s hypersonic ambitions. He stated that “India’s LR-AShM [Long-Range Anti-Ship Missile] programme has reached an advanced stage, with initial trials expected soon.1” The statement carries more weight because it has come directly from the DRDO Chairman. Furthermore, DRDO is the lead agency developing India’s first hypersonic weapon. The development further got a boost when several Indian media houses published a report that on 1 May 2026, India successfully carried out the second flight test of the LR-AShM.2 This particular test, however, was not confirmed by the DRDO itself. For India, achieving hypersonic capability has become something of a national security imperative, given China’s advancement in the same domain, and this also explains the pace of development, which has accelerated over the years.

Author: Javed Alam

June 2026

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1 ‘India’s LR-AShM hypersonic glide missile nears trials; DRDO chief outlines future multi-layered strike force,’ ANI, 30 April 2026,  https://aninews.in/news/national/general-news/indias-lr-ashm-hypersonic-glide-missile-nears-trials-drdo-chief-outlines-future-multi-layered-strike-force20260430133006/

2 ‘India carries out 2nd test of long-range hypersonic anti-ship missile off Odisha coast,’ The Economic Times, 03 May 2026, https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/defence/india-successfully-tests-advanced-long-range-hypersonic-anti-ship-missile-off-odisha-coast/articleshow/130733635.cms?from=mdr
April
2021
Issue Briefs

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August
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The Hague Code of Conduct Against Ballistic Missile Proliferation: “Lessons Learned” for the European Union Draft Code of Conduct for Outer Space Activities

Concerns about the harm caused upon orbiting space objects – whether intentional or accidental – have increased in recent years, as well as the emerging awareness that the security and safety of national satellites – of vital importance for modern societies but at the same time so vulnerable – relies on a collective effort. In December 2008 the EU responded to these concerns by adopting a Draft Code of Conduct (EU Draft CoC) for outer space activities.

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January
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North Korean Short Range Systems: Military consequences of the development of the KN-23, KN-24 and KN-25

This study focuses on the new systems introduced, and assesses their potential impact as conventional weapons and as non-conventional weapons. Through an analysis of the possible capacities of these systems, this study examines their consequences on North Korean strategy. It concludes by exploring what this change of strategy may lead to, in military terms, and in political terms, on the Korean peninsula.

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