INDIA’s MISSILE SYSTEMS

The Defense research and development organization (DRDO) is one of Asia’s largest defense contractors and a leading aerospace manufacturer headquartered in New Delhi. In recent years, DRDO has achieved success in several projects, the prime project of it being the Integrated Guided Missile Development Program (IGMDP), which aims at developing local missile design and development ability and manufacturing a range of missile systems for the three defense services. The IGMDP has developed five missile platforms, surface to surface missile systems Prithvi and Agni series of missiles, Akash SAM, anti-tank Nag missile and multi-mission Trishul missile.

The Prithvi is the first missile developed under IGMDP. It has the capability to carry 500 kg warhead. It is nine meters long with one meter diameter. Its launch weight is about 4.6 tonnes.The missile is thrust by liquid propulsion twin-engine and uses Advanced Inertial Guidance System with maneuvering trajectory. Its naval counterpart, Dhanush has a striking range up to 350 km and can carry single warhead, conventional or nuclear, up to 500 kg.The missile is about 8.53 meters long with 0.9 meter diameter. It has a launch weight of about 4.4 tonnes.This single-stage missile uses liquid propellant. It can be used as an anti-ship weapon as well as for destroying land targets depending on the range. Unlike Prithvi, the missile is fired at best from an unwieldy Launchpad.

Work on the 9 km range Trishul missile system has been completed as technology demonstrator. Nag is third generation; fire-and-forget anti-tank guided missile with a range of 4 km.It has a complete fiberglass structure. This indigenous missile which can operate during day and night, has a 10-year, maintenance-free shelf life and its lethal capability has been increased to enable it to carry one of the most powerful tandem warheads. Equipped with imaging infrared (IID) guidance and an IIR seeker, ‘NAG’ has ‘lock-on-before launch’ capability. Its carrier, a modified version of the infantry combat vehicles BMP-2(ICV), is capable of carrying four ready-to-fire missiles in the launch platform and to store 12 more missiles. Akash is a mobile, multiple-target handling and medium range Air Defense missile with a strike range of 25 km and an effective ceiling of 18 km. This 5.6 meter long sleek missile has a launch weight of 700 kg and can carry a warhead of 50 kg. It will be used to counter ballistic missiles and enemy aircraft.  Compared to the US-made Patriot, the Akash has better features. It is totally mobile and can be launched from a battle tank. It operates in conjunction with the indigenously built Rajendra Surveillance and Engagement Radar. The radar is capable of tracking 64 targets and guiding up to 12 missiles simultaneously.

Agni-1 has a strike range of 700-900 km and can hit targets in Pakistan. Compared to its longer range cousins, its height is just 12 meters and powered with both solid and liquid propellants imparting a speed of 2.5 km per second. It can blast off from both road and rail mobile launchers. Weighing less than the other series of missiles but having the same thrust, the missile has added acceleration. It is designed to bridge the gap between short-range Prithvi and the intermediate range Agni-2 that has a range of more than 2000 km. Agni-2 is a 2000 km plus range surface-to-surface Intermediate Range Ballistic Missile. It can neutralize a target at over 2000 km and carry a payload of around 1000 kg. Its range can be increased to 3000 km depending on the payload.  It is designed to be launched from a rail-mobile launcher and also road-mobile configuration. It is a ready-to-fire missile with a launch time of about 15 minutes. Agni-3 has a strike range of 3500 km and can target major cities of China. Agni-3 which is a new system is a short and stubby, two-stage, long-range missile that weighs 48.3 tonnes and is 16.7 meters tall with an overall diameter of 1.8 meters. It can carry both conventional and nuclear warheads weighing around 1.5 tonnes. It will be propelled by solid fuels, facilitating swifter deployment compared to missiles using both solid and liquid fuels. Agni-5 is a 5000 km range ICBM and it will surpass all the previous three versions of the missile, will be surface-based, solid and liquid propellant ballistic missile and equipped with inertial guidance systems with an improved optical or radar terminal phase correlation system. This missile also possesses a submarine launch capability. It would be virtually indestructible and unstoppable in times of war. The launching of the 5000 km range missile would entail strapping third stage booster rocket on Agni-3 missiles powered by solid fuel propellant. It is a canister-launch missile system to ensure it has the requisite operational flexibility to be swiftly transported and fired from anywhere. So the missile will be capable of being swiftly moved closer to the border with China.

India is developing a new generation of long range, sub-sonic stealth cruise missile called the ‘Nirbhay’ having an operational strike range of about 1000 km. It is 6-metre long with a diameter of around 0.52 meter. Using the inertial navigation system, it could fly at a speed of around 0.7 mach. It is capable of delivering 24 different types of warheads depending on mission requirements. ‘Astra’ is a beyond visual range air to air missile designed for a 80-km range in head-on mode and 20-km range in tail-chase mode. It can intercept fast-moving aerial targets at supersonic speeds (1.2 to 1.4 mach). The single-stage, smoke-less, solid propelled missile cannot be traced by any enemy radar and hence, can successfully destroy the targets. The missile ‘K-15’ with a range of 700 km is India’s first-ever submarine launched ballistic missile. It is about 8.5 meters long with one meter diameter. Its launch weight is about 7 tonnes. It uses solid propellant. It can carry a conventional payload of about 500 kg and also be fitted with tactical nuclear warhead.

Brahmos is a maneuverable supersonic cruise missile. It is a two-stage missile. It is nine meters tall and weighs 3.9 tonnes with the canister. It can carry a conventional warhead weighing 300 kg to a low altitude of 10 meters at a speed of mach 2.8 from a range of 290 km.It can be launched from vertical or inclined position and will cover 360 degrees. It can be integrated into army, navy, air force and even submarines. Its aerial version will be nine-meter long and once fitted can auto-launch itself towards the target after being released from the aircraft by the pilot. The submarine launched versions will make the submarines capable of attacking surface targets at sea or on land. The enhanced version of the Brahmos missile, the Brahmos-2 hypersonic missile will be jointly developed by India and Russia and shall cover a distance of more than 1000 km at 8 mach.