DRDO To Establish Missile Testing Range In Junput West Bengal

Why in News?

The Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) initiated plans on September 13, 2026, to establish a new weapons and missile testing range at Junput, West Bengal.

Key Points

• The proposed testing range at Junput, Purba Medinipur will expand India’s weapons-testing capacity on the eastern coast.
• It will supplement the existing Integrated Test Range (ITR) at Chandipur, Odisha, about 70 km away.
• The coastal site provides an unobstructed eastward trajectory over the Bay of Bengal for missile evaluation.

Exam Connect

• ITR Chandipur → Launch Complex-III for systems such as Akash and Pinaka → Launch Complex-IV for Agni and K-series systems
• DRDO → under Ministry of Defence → nodal agency for military R&D → established 1958