RZ-61 Surface-to-Air Missile

The RZ-61 was a Soviet-origin naval Surface-to-Air Missile (SAM) used for the air defence of warships and formed part of the Indian Navy’s earlier-generation shipborne missile systems. It was designed primarily to engage hostile aircraft and other aerial threats approaching a naval vessel. The missile worked in coordination with the ship’s radar and command-guidance system, which detected and tracked the target and transmitted guidance commands during flight. Associated with the M-1 Volna missile family, the RZ-61 played an important role in strengthening the Indian Navy’s early shipborne air-defence capability and was later replaced by more advanced naval surface-to-air missile systems.