Indian Defense
Missiles of India – A comprehensive Overview of India’s Deadly Missile Arsenal
With an amalgamation of science, technology and human resource, India has set its foot in developing the most lethal and advanced missiles systems in the world
India since gaining its sovereignty has amplified its stock of strategic and tactical missiles that caters to several defence strategies made by the Government of India. With an amalgamation of science, technology and human resource, India has set its foot in developing the most lethal and advanced missile systems in the world including anti-ship, air-defence, ballistic, cruise, air to air, anti-missile systems and even the capability to hit targets in space. India also marks itself among the seven countries possessing the Intercontinental Ballistic Missile (ICBM), which can travel a minimum distance of 5,500 km. India is also one of the four nations owning an Anti-Ballistic Missile (ABM) system.
India has a lethal stockpile of potent weapons, with the Indian Air Force (IAF) version of the BrahMos, Intercontinental ballistic missile Agni-5 and other pivotal missiles. Along with these, India incorporates the missile series of Prithvi, Dhanush and Nirbhay in its stockpile of ammunition.
Here is a list of some among India’s missiles:
Surface-To-Air Missiles
A surface-to-air missile (SAM), or ground-to-air missile (GTAM) is a weapon designed to be launched from the Earth to destroy enemy aircraft or other missiles and can be considered as an anti-aircraft defence system in modern armed forces.
Trishul
Trishul missiles are short-range surface to air missiles with an operational range of 9km.
Akash Missile
Presently, there are three variants at different stages of development, Akash-1S, Akash Mark-II, Akash-NG. The Akash -1S can travel up to a distance of 18 to 30 km, while the Akash Mk-II and Akash-NG can travel 35 to 40 km and more than 50 km, respectively.
Barak-8
The long-range Indo-Israeli surface to Air Barak 8 Missile can travel up to a distance of 100 km to hit the target with Mach 2 speed, i.e, twice the speed of sound or 2470 km/hr.
Surface-To-Surface Missiles
Surface-to-surface missiles are launched from the ground to strike land or sea targets. They may be fired from hand-held or vehicles, from a ship or ground installations. They are often enabled with a rocket engine or sometimes fired by an explosive charge since the launching platform is typically stationary or moving.
Agni-I
A medium-range ballistic missile that can travel a distance of 700-1250 km to hit its target. The missile can reach Mach 7.5 speed. It is a single-stage missile that was developed after the Kargil War by the DRDO.
Agni-II
It is the second strategic ballistic missile of the Agni family envisaged to be the mainstay of the Indian missile-based strategic nuclear deterrence. An Intermediate-range ballistic missile, Agni-II can reach a distance of 2,000–3,000 km while travelling at Mach 12 speed.
Agni-III
It is an Intermediate-range ballistic missile that can travel a range of 3,000 km with a speed of 5–6 km/s, it was deployed to service in 2011 and can reach targets deep inside neighbouring countries including China.
Agni-IV
Designed by the DRDO and inducted in service in 2013, The Agni-IV is an Intermediate-range ballistic missile that can reach a distance of around 4,000 km at Mach 7 speed.
Agni-V
The Agni-V missile is an Indian nuclear-capable intercontinental ballistic missile developed by the DRDO and is India’s only Intercontinental ballistic missile with a 5,000 km range that can reach an exceptional Mach 24 speed.
Prithvi -II
A Short-Range Ballistic Missile, Prithvi-II can travel a distance of 350 km. The missile is developed by the DRDO
Shaurya
The Shaurya missile is a canister launched hypersonic surface-to-surface tactical missile developed by the DRDO for use by the Indian Armed Forces. The missile can reach a distance of 750 to 1,900 km to destroy its target.
Air-To-Air Missiles
Air to Air Missiles (AAM) is a missile fired from an aircraft with a motive to damage another aircraft or any airborne object. AAM is either solid fuelled or sometimes liquid-fuelled. It evolved from unguided air to air rockets used during World War-I.
MICA
MICA is an anti-air multi-target, all-weather, fire-and-forget short and medium-range missile system encompassing a range of 500 m to 80 km reaching Mach 4 during its deployment.
Astra Missile
Developed indigenously by the DRDO, Astra is an all-weather beyond-visual-range active radar homing air-to-air missile encompassing a range of 80-110 km reaching the Mach 4.5 + speed.
Novator K-100
A Russian-made medium-Range air-to-air missile can be deployed to hit targets in the range of 300–400 km with a Mach 3.3 speed.
Cruise Missiles
A cruise missile is guided to its target by an onboard computer. It is a guided missile used against terrestrial targets, that remain in the atmosphere and flies the major portion of its flight path at an approximately constant speed. Cruise missiles are designed to deliver a target warhead over long distances with high precision.
BrahMos Supersonic Cruise Missile
BrahMos missiles are designed developed and produced by BrahMos Aerospace, a joint venture company set up by the DRDO and Mashinostroyenia of Russia. The BrahMos supersonic cruise missile can cover a range of 290 km reaching the Mach 2.8 to 3 Mach speed.
BrahMos-II
Meanwhile, the BrahMos-II Hypersonic cruise missile can be deployed to hit the target within a range of 450 – 600 km in a Mach 7 velocity. The missile is currently under joint development by the DRDO and Russia’s NPO Mashinostroyenia.
Nirbhay
The Nirbhay subsonic cruise missile can reach a maximum range of 1,000 to 1500 km to destroy its target with a Mach 0.8 speed. The missile can be launched from multiple platforms and is capable of carrying conventional and nuclear warheads.
Submarine-Launched Ballistic Missile
A submarine-launched ballistic missile (SLBM) is a ballistic missile capable of being launched from submarines. Each missile carries a nuclear warhead and allows a single launched missile to strike several targets. Modern submarine-launched ballistic missiles are closely related to intercontinental ballistic missiles which can be deployed to reach a range of over 5,500 km.
Sagarika (K-15)
Sagarika (K-15) is an Indian submarine-launched ballistic missile that can reach a range of 750 km that was designed for retaliatory nuclear strikes.
K-4 Ballistic Missile
The K-4 Ballistic Missile is a nuclear-capable Intermediate-Range submarine-launched ballistic missile developed by the DRDO to arm the Arihant-class submarines. The missile has a maximum range of 3,500 km.
K-5 Missile
The K-5 is a submarine-launched ballistic missile under development by the DRDO. The missile has a planned range of 5,000 km and will be equipped with Arihant-class submarines and is considered to be the fastest missile in its class.
Anti-Tank Missile
An anti-tank guided missile (ATGM) is a guided missile primarily designed to hit and destroy heavily armoured military vehicles, which can be transported by a single soldier, to larger tripod-mounted weapons, which require a team to transport and fire, to vehicle and aircraft mounted missile systems.
Amogha-1
The Amogha-1 is an ATGM with a range of up to 2.8km. It is under development by Bharat Dynamics at Hyderabad. It is the maiden missile designed and tested by Bharat Dynamics and will be produced in two versions. The land version has already been tested.
Nag Missile
The Nag missile, also known as ‘Prospina’ for the land-attack version is an Indian third-generation, all-weather, fire and forget, an anti-tank guided missile with an operational range of 500m to 20km and ten-year maintenance-free shelf life.
Anti-Ballistic Missiles
An Anti-ballistic missile is a surface to air missile designed and manufactured to counter ballistic missiles (Missile defence). Ballistic missiles are used to deliver nuclear, chemical, biological or conventional warheads in a ballistic attack.
Prithvi Air Defence (PAD)
The Prithvi Air Defence (PAD) is a two-stage liquid and solid-fuelled ballistic missile defence high altitude interceptor based on the Prithvi missile. The two-stage interceptor is 10 meters tall and is said to reach a maximum altitude of 80km.
Prithvi Defence Vehicle (PDV)
The Prithvi Defence Vehicle (PDV) is an Exo-atmospheric interceptor missile designed and manufactured to shoot down short-medium, and intermediate-range ballistic missiles in their terminal phase by intercepting with a hit-to-kill approach.
Anti-Satellite Missile
A-SAT Missile
In March 2019, India joined an exclusive club of countries that has the capability to hit a target in space as it tested the anti-satellite missile via ‘Mission Shakti’. This test, which came just months after India completed its fully operational nuclear triad (being able to launch nuclear warheads from air, land and sea), made India just the fourth country, after the US, Russia and China to be able to do so.
Indian Defense
INS Arihant’s Nuke-Capable K-4 Submarine-Launched Ballistic Missile ‘Ready To Roll’
The solid-fuelled K-4 missile is being developed by DRDO to arm the country’s nuclear-powered submarines in the shape of INS Arihant and its under-development sister vessels. INS Arihant, which became fully operational in November 2018 to complete India’s nuclear triad, is currently armed with the much shorter K-15 missiles with a 750 km range.
“The K-4 is now virtually ready for its serial production to kick-off. The two tests have demonstrated its capability to emerge straight from underwater and undertake its parabolic trajectory,” said a source.
India has the land-based Agni missiles, with the over 5,000-km Agni-V inter-continental ballistic missile now in the process of being inducted, and fighter jets jury-rigged to deliver nuclear weapons. But INS Arihant gives the country’s deterrence posture much more credibility because nuclear-powered submarines armed with nuclear-tipped missiles are considered the most secure, survivable and potent platforms for retaliatory strikes.
Once the K-4 missiles are inducted, they will help India narrow the gap with countries like the US, Russia and China, which have over 5,000-km range SLBMs. The K-4 missiles are to be followed by the K-5 and K-6 missiles in the 5,000-6,000 km range class.
The 6,000-ton INS Arihant, which is propelled by an 83 MW pressurised light-water reactor at its core, in turn, is to be followed by INS Arighat, which was launched in 2017. The next generation of nuclear submarines, currently called S-4 and S-4*, will be much larger in size.
Indian Defense
After Upgradation, Sukhoi Su-30MKI Indigenisation To Reach 78%
India has received clearance to upgrade 84 Sukhoi Su-30MKI fighter jets, which will result in 78% indigenization after the upgrade
In a significant step towards bolstering its military might with indigenously developed technology, India is poised to witness its Russian-origin Sukhoi Su-30MKI fighter jets evolve into a domestic platform. Speaking at a recent lecture.
The upgrade program is being led by Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) in partnership with the Indian Air Force and other partners. The upgrade is expected to cost US$7.5 billion.
This initiative is a part of a larger effort by the Indian Air Force to modernize its ageing fleet. Air Chief Marshal Chaudhari asserted the critical role of an offensive air force as demonstrated in current global conflicts and emphasized India’s move towards an indigenized arsenal. To this end, the IAF has been proactive, from upgrading its Mirage 2000 to enhancing its MiG-29 fleet.
In summary, the IAF’s commitment to updating their combat forces with the latest technology, including shifting to fifth-generation fighter jets, ensures operational preparedness and a strong deterrence capability. The gradual indigenization of its air fleet marks a pivotal shift in India’s defence landscape, reducing dependency on foreign imports and fostering technological sovereignty.
Indian Defense
Akash Weapon System Exports For The Armenian Armed Forces Gathers Pace
According to unconfirmed reports, Armenia is a top contender for an export order for Akash SAM system manufactured by Bharat Dynamics Limited (BDL).
The Akash export version will also be slightly different from the one inducted by the armed forces. The 100-km range air-to-air Astra missiles, now entering production after successful trials from Sukhoi-30MKI fighters, also have “good export potential”, said sources.
Akash is a “tried, tested and successfully inducted systems”. Indian armed forces have ordered Akash systems worth Rs 24,000 crore over the years, and MoD inked a contract in Mar 2023 of over Rs 9,100 crores for improved Akash Weapon System
BDL is a government enterprise under the Ministry of Defence that was established in 1970. BDL manufactures surface-to-air missiles and delivers them to the Indian Army. BDL also offers its products for export.
Akash Weapon System
The AWS is a Short Range Surface to Air Missile (SRSAM) Air Defence System, indigenously designed and developed by Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO). In order to meet aerial threats, two additional Regiments of AWS with Upgradation are being procured for Indian Army for the Northern borders. Improved AWS has Seeker Technology, Reduced Foot Print, 360° Engagement Capability and improved environmental parameters.
The project will give a boost to the Indian missile manufacturing industry in particular and the indigenous defence manufacturing ecosystem as a whole. The project has overall indigenous content of 82% which will be increased to 93% by 2026-27.
The induction of the improved AWS into the Indian Army will increase India’s self-reliance in Short Range Missile capability. This project will play a role in boosting the overall economy by avoiding outgo of precious foreign exchange to other countries, increasing employment avenues in India and encouraging Indian MSMEs through components manufacturing. Around 60% of the project cost will be awarded to the private industry, including MSMEs, in maintaining the supply chain of the weapon system, thereby creating large scale of direct and indirect employment.
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