Nirbhay fails maiden test: Here's all you need to know about the missile

India’s first cruise missile Nirbhay on Tuesday failed to hit the target in its maiden test-firing as it had to be terminated mid-way after deviating from the flight course. However, the DRDO said the missile ‘successfully’ met the basic mission objectives and performed some of the manouveres satisfactorily before being terminated mid way. [caption id=“attachment_657260” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  Image for representation only. AFP[/caption] Here is all you need to know about Nirbhay: * Soon after the missile took off, the booster engine kick-started and the first stage was separated and missile cruised ahead at 0.7 Mach, reports The Hindu. * It is India’s first indigenously developed sub-sonic cruise missile. * Nirbhay was developed by Aeronautical Development Establishment (ADE), a Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) laboratory based in Bangalore. * It is said to have a strike-range of around 1,500 km. * A top DRDO official told The Hindu that the flight had to be terminated to ensure “coastal safety”. * The surface-to-surface sub-sonic cruise missile has the capability of being launched from land, sea and air. * Nirbhay has good loitering capability, good control and guidance, high degree of accuracy in terms of impact and very good stealth features. * “After travelling approximately mid-way, deviations were observed from its intended course. Further, flight was terminated to ensure coastal safety,” DRDO spokesman Ravi Gupta said in a release. With inputs from PTI