UPSC Prelims Practice Questions — Major boost to Aatmanirbhar Bharat: DRDO completes development trials of Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Launched Precision Guided Missile-V3 in Air-to-Ground & Air-to-Air modes

Question 1

The UAV platform on which the DRDO's Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Launched Precision Guided Missile (ULPGM)-V3 has been integrated was indigenously developed by which one of the following?

Accepted Answer

NewSpace Research & Technologies, Bengaluru

Answer

Hindustan Aeronautics Limited, Bengaluru

Answer

Bharat Dynamics Limited, Hyderabad

Answer

Adani Defence Systems & Technologies Ltd, Hyderabad

Question 2

With reference to the Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Launched Precision Guided Missile-V3 (ULPGM-V3) whose development trials were completed in 2026, which one of the following is the nodal DRDO laboratory that developed the missile?

Accepted Answer

Research Centre Imarat (RCI), Hyderabad

Answer

Defence Research and Development Laboratory (DRDL), Hyderabad

Answer

Armament Research and Development Establishment (ARDE), Pune

Answer

High Energy Materials Research Laboratory (HEMRL), Pune

Question 3

The Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), which completed the development trials of ULPGM-V3 in 2026, functions under which one of the following departments of the Ministry of Defence?

Accepted Answer

Department of Defence Research and Development

Answer

Department of Defence Production

Answer

Department of Military Affairs

Answer

Department of Ex-Servicemen Welfare

Question 4

Which one of the following DRDO laboratories served as the nodal laboratory for the development of the Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Launched Precision Guided Missile (ULPGM-V3)?

Accepted Answer

Research Centre Imarat (RCI), Hyderabad

Answer

Defence Research & Development Laboratory (DRDL), Hyderabad

Answer

Advanced Systems Laboratory (ASL), Hyderabad

Answer

Defence Avionics Research Establishment (DARE), Bengaluru

Question 5

With reference to the recently tested Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Launched Precision Guided Missile (ULPGM)-V3 programme of DRDO, consider the following statements regarding its industrial and institutional partners:
1. Bharat Dynamics Limited (BDL), Hyderabad is one of the two Development-cum-Production Partners (DcPPs) for the missile.
2. Adani Defence Systems & Technologies Limited, Hyderabad is the other Development-cum-Production Partner for the missile.
3. The Unmanned Aerial Vehicle platform used to launch the missile was indigenously developed by Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL).
4. Research Centre Imarat (RCI), Hyderabad is the nodal DRDO laboratory for the ULPGM-V3 project.
Which of the above statements is/are NOT correctly identified?

Accepted Answer

3 only

Answer

1 and 4 only

Answer

2 only

Answer

2, 3 and 4

Question 6

In the context of DRDO's indigenous weapon programmes such as ULPGM-V3, the term 'Development-cum-Production Partner (DcPP)' most appropriately refers to:

Accepted Answer

An Indian public-sector or private industry partner that is co-opted alongside the DRDO laboratory during prototype development itself and is simultaneously authorised to undertake series production of the system once trials are completed.

Answer

A foreign Original Equipment Manufacturer that mandatorily transfers technology to an Indian licensee under the offset obligations of the Defence Acquisition Procedure.

Answer

A consortium of IITs and other academic institutions tasked with basic research support for a DRDO nodal laboratory, with no manufacturing role.

Answer

A purely financial co-investor under the Strategic Partnership model that funds the project but takes no part in design, integration or manufacture of the weapon system.

Question 7

Which one of the following is the nodal executing agency for the 'Innovations for Defence Excellence (iDEX)' framework under the Ministry of Defence?

Accepted Answer

Defence Innovation Organisation (DIO)

Answer

Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO)

Answer

Directorate General of Quality Assurance (DGQA)

Answer

Department of Military Affairs (DMA)

Question 8

Under the Defence Acquisition Procedure (DAP) 2020, which one of the following procurement categories enjoys the highest order of priority?

Accepted Answer

Buy (Indian – Indigenously Designed, Developed and Manufactured)

Answer

Buy (Indian)

Answer

Buy and Make (Indian)

Answer

Buy (Global – Manufacture in India)

Question 9

DRDO's recently trialled Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Launched Precision Guided Missile (ULPGM)-V3 is most often described as an indigenous counterpart to which one of the following flagship foreign drone-launched precision-guided munitions?

Accepted Answer

AGM-114 Hellfire (United States)

Answer

AIM-120 AMRAAM (United States)

Answer

Storm Shadow / SCALP-EG (United Kingdom-France)

Answer

BrahMos-A (India-Russia)

Question 10

With reference to the Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Launched Precision Guided Missile (ULPGM)-V3, which one of the following is the nodal DRDO laboratory responsible for its development?

Accepted Answer

Research Centre Imarat (RCI), Hyderabad

Answer

Defence Research and Development Laboratory (DRDL), Hyderabad

Answer

Armament Research and Development Establishment (ARDE), Pune

Answer

High Energy Materials Research Laboratory (HEMRL), Pune

Question 11

As per DRDO, what is the stated endurance (in hours) of the indigenously developed Medium Altitude Long Endurance UAV TAPAS-BH carrying EO and SAR payloads?

Accepted Answer

24 hours

Answer

10 hours

Answer

18 hours

Answer

36 hours

Question 12

With reference to the indigenous UAV platforms Rustom-1, TAPAS-BH-201 and Archer that could host the DRDO-developed Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Launched Precision Guided Missile (ULPGM)-V3, consider the following statements:
1. Both Rustom-1 and TAPAS-BH-201 have been developed with the Aeronautical Development Establishment (ADE), Bengaluru as the nodal laboratory of DRDO.
2. TAPAS-BH-201 has been developed primarily as an armed strike platform, whereas Rustom-1 was designed purely as an Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR) UAV.
3. Rustom-1 has demonstrated a higher operational ceiling (altitude) than TAPAS-BH-201.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

Accepted Answer

1 only

Answer

1 and 2 only

Answer

2 and 3 only

Answer

1, 2 and 3

Question 13

With reference to recent indigenous weapon systems tested by the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), consider the following pairings of the system with its primary role:
1. Pralay — Solid-propellant short-range quasi-ballistic surface-to-surface missile
2. NASM-SR — Air-launched anti-ship missile fired from a naval helicopter
3. Akash-NG — Submarine-launched ballistic missile
4. VSHORADS — Vertical-launch long-range surface-to-air missile system for naval platforms
Which of the above pairings is/are NOT correctly matched?

Accepted Answer

3 and 4 only

Answer

1 and 2 only

Answer

2 and 3 only

Answer

1, 3 and 4

Question 14

The 'Pralay' missile, which recently underwent a salvo launch trial off the Odisha coast as part of its user evaluation, is best described as:

Accepted Answer

An indigenously developed solid-propellant, short-range, quasi-ballistic surface-to-surface missile with terminal manoeuvring capability

Answer

A submarine-launched intercontinental ballistic missile with multiple independently targetable re-entry vehicles

Answer

An air-launched hypersonic cruise missile powered by a scramjet engine

Answer

A canisterised vertical-launch surface-to-air missile system meant to replace the Akash system

UPSC Prelims Practice Questions — Major boost to Aatmanirbhar Bharat: DRDO completes development trials of Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Launched Precision Guided Missile-V3 in Air-to-Ground & Air-to-Air modes

Q1. The UAV platform on which the DRDO's Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Launched Precision Guided Missile (ULPGM)-V3 has been integrated was indigenously developed by which one of the following?

Q2. With reference to the Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Launched Precision Guided Missile-V3 (ULPGM-V3) whose development trials were completed in 2026, which one of the following is the nodal DRDO laboratory that developed the missile?

Q3. The Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), which completed the development trials of ULPGM-V3 in 2026, functions under which one of the following departments of the Ministry of Defence?

Q4. Which one of the following DRDO laboratories served as the nodal laboratory for the development of the Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Launched Precision Guided Missile (ULPGM-V3)?

Q6. In the context of DRDO's indigenous weapon programmes such as ULPGM-V3, the term 'Development-cum-Production Partner (DcPP)' most appropriately refers to:

Q7. Which one of the following is the nodal executing agency for the 'Innovations for Defence Excellence (iDEX)' framework under the Ministry of Defence?

Q8. Under the Defence Acquisition Procedure (DAP) 2020, which one of the following procurement categories enjoys the highest order of priority?

Q9. DRDO's recently trialled Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Launched Precision Guided Missile (ULPGM)-V3 is most often described as an indigenous counterpart to which one of the following flagship foreign drone-launched precision-guided munitions?

Q10. With reference to the Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Launched Precision Guided Missile (ULPGM)-V3, which one of the following is the nodal DRDO laboratory responsible for its development?

Q11. As per DRDO, what is the stated endurance (in hours) of the indigenously developed Medium Altitude Long Endurance UAV TAPAS-BH carrying EO and SAR payloads?

Q14. The 'Pralay' missile, which recently underwent a salvo launch trial off the Odisha coast as part of its user evaluation, is best described as: