India successfully tests submarine based ballistic missile system

This makes India now capable of launching nuclear arms from land, air and sea.

India is ready to develop Advanced Seekers for Tactical Missiles

Imagine a war scenario in which miniaturized missiles equipped with Precision-Guided Munitions (PGMs) are unleashed from a mother missile to take out select enemy targets like an ammunition depot while avoiding collateral damage. 

A mother missile acts as a “force multiplier” and to achieve the desired result, each miniaturized missile will have a seeker to ensure its independent motion, irrespective of the mother missile's motion. 

Seekers, which are of two types — radio-frequency and infra-red, enable a missile to acquire, track and home in on to the target. They are required for all tactical missiles (less than 300 km range).

Scientists at the Research Centre Imarat (RCI), a key laboratory of Defence Research and Development Organization’s (DRDO) missile complex here, have embarked on developing such seekers to eventually equip mother missiles with smaller missiles packed with PGMs. 

The mandate of the RCI is to deliver avionic systems for all missiles, including anti-ballistic systems and anti-aircraft missiles. 

In a bid to conduct trials without using the mother missile, a Remotely Piloted Vehicle (RPV) has been imported to be used as a Technology Demonstrator for the project. A flight trial was conducted at the Integrated Test Range using the RPV along with a recoverable tow body by providing the vehicle the same velocity of a mother missile.

“Good results were obtained from that exercise,” said by RCI Director S.K. Chaudhuri. More such trials would be carried out in stages to check the guidance, control and inertial navigation systems. 

By the end of 2013, a crucial trial of the RPV with missile-launched PGMs to hit a target with both IIR (Imaging infrared) and mmW (Millimteric Wave) seekers was being planned. Later, a flight test with a mother missile would be conducted, he said.

Another frontier technology area in which scientists have begun work is to design and develop ‘Low Probability of Intercept Radar Seeker' to equip anti-ship and anti-aircraft missiles. 

"This seeker will enable the missile to escape detection and jamming by enemy radars. Currently, Russia and the U.S. have such seekers", a senior RCI scientist said.

A few months ago, a major success was achieved when anti-tank Nag missile was flight-tested with an indigenously-developed mmW seeker.

India has successfully tested First ICBM Missile Agni-V (5000 Km)

After the mischief played by weather gods a day earlier, the god of fire or ‘Agni’ came into his own on Thursday morning to hurl a potent fireball more than halfway across the Indian Ocean at over 20 times the speed of sound. India heralded a new era in its “credible” strategic deterrence capability by testing its most ambitious nuclear missile “the over 5,000-km range Agni-V” that brings all of China and much more within its strike envelope. With the launch of the 50-tonne missile from the Wheeler Island off Odisha coast at 8.07 am, and its 20-minute flight to an “impact point towards western Australia’’, India also yanked open the door to the super-exclusive ICBM (intercontinental ballistic missile) club that counts only the US, Russia, China, France and the UK as its members. India can, however, can sit at this high table only when Agni-V becomes fully operational after “four to five repeatable tests’’ and user-trials. It will be around 2015 that the three stage, solid-fuelled missile will be ready for deployment by the tri-service strategic forces command. Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and defence minister A K Antony congratulated the scientists for “doing us proud”. India, with a declared “no first-use’’ nuclear doctrine, could have gone in for a much higher range ICBM, say top officials. But Agni-V, with its “very short reaction time as well as very high mobility for requisite operational flexibility’’, takes care of “current threat perceptions.”

After testing the over 5,000km Agni-V missile, which went up to 600km into space during its parabolic trajectory, the Defence Research and Development Organization (DRDO) now feels it can fashion deadly anti-satellite (ASAT) weapons in double quick time. The ASAT weapon would include marrying Agni-V’s propulsion system with the “kill vehicle” of the under-development two-tier BMD (ballistic missile defence) system that has been tested a few times to track and destroy hostile missiles both inside (endo) and outside (exo) the earth’s atmosphere. 

China’s strategic experts and official media on Friday said the Agni V missile has a longer range than India admits, and the nuclear-capable projectile can hit cities in Europe. “The Indian missile has a range of 8,000km and not 5,000km as claimed by India,” said an expert Du Wenlong, adding that the Indian government had deliberately downplayed the missile’s capability to avoid causing concern to other countries. Wenlong, an expert at the PLA Academy of Military Sciences, was not alone. Zhang Zhaozhang, professor with PLA National Defence University, too, was quoted by the paper, Global Times, as saying, “According to China’s standard, an ICBM should have a range of at least 8,000km. The Agni-V’s range could be further enhanced to become an ICBM.” There were also signs that China will try to pressure the US and Russia into not selling their missile guidance systems to India.

3D Model: India DRDO Agni-v ICBM

India is ready for testing First ICBM Missile Agni-V (5000 Km)

India has begun final preparations for the first test of its most-ambitious strategic missile, the 5,000-km Agni-V, which will prove to be a technical as well as logistical challenge. The Agni-V, which will bring the whole of Asia, 70% of Europe and other regions under its strike envelope, will be tested from Wheeler Island off the Orissa coast towards end-March to early-April, defence sources said. The nuclear-capable Agni-V, about 50-tonne in weight and 17.5-m tall, is bound to generate waves. Once the three-stage missile becomes operational by 2014-15 after “four to five repeatable tests”, as promised by DRDO, India will break into the exclusive ICBM (Intercontinental Ballistic Missile) club that counts just US, Russia, China, France and UK as its members. India could have gone for a higher strike range but believes the solid-fuelled Agni-V is “more than adequate’’ to meet current threat perceptions and security concerns. The missile can, after all, even hit the northernmost parts of China. With a canister-launch system to impart higher road mobility, the missile will give the armed forces much greater operational flexibility than the earlier-generation of Agni missiles. “The accuracy levels of Agni-V and the 3,500-km Agni-IV (first tested in November 2011), with their better guidance and navigation systems, are far higher than Agni-I (700-km), Agni-II (2,000-km) and Agni-III (3,000-km),’’ said the source.

Indian Missile Agni-V

Agni-V, with a strike range of over 5,000 km, would be test-fired for the first time between December-February. The 20-tonne Agni-IV (3,500km) and 50-tonne Agni-V will add much needed muscle to India’s nuclear deterrence. 

If launched from the North-East, would be able to hit high-value targets deep inside China.

DRDO claims both Agni-IV and Agni-V comparable to the best missiles in their class, including Chinese. 

Agni-IV and Agni-V will have higher accuracy, fast-reaction capability and road mobility.

They provide operational flexibility against China as they are capable of being stored and swiftly transported.

DRDO is confident of offering 17.5-metre tall Agni-V for induction by 2014.

India successfully tested Agni IV Missile

India on Tuesday successfully tested a new-generation Agni missile with a strike range of 3,500 km and souped-up “kill efficiency”, prompting excited defence scientists to proclaim it would add “fantastic deterrence” to the country’s nuclear weapons programme. The test of the “most advanced” surface-to-surface missile called Agni-IV also launched the countdown for India to test its most ambitious strategic missile Agni-V, which will have near-ICBM (intercontinental ballistic missile) capabilities with an over 5,000-km range, in December-January. “This test has paved the way for the success of Agni-V mission, which will be launched shortly,” said DRDO’s chief controller (missiles and strategic systems) Avinash Chander. The Agni-IV incorporates many new technologies in navigation, propulsion, avionics and other areas to represent “a quantum leap” in missile technology for India. Having inducted the Pakistan-specific Agni-I (700-km) and Agni-II (over 2,000-km) missiles, the armed forces are now in the process of operationalizing the 3,500-km Agni-III after completion of its developmental and pre-induction trials last year. The two-stage Agni-IV and three-stage Agni-V, in turn, are meant to add some much-needed credible deterrence muscle against China, which has a massive nuclear arsenal with missiles like the 11,200-km Dong Feng-31A capable of hitting any Indian city. The canister-launch Agni-V, with its high road mobility and fast-reaction ability, in particular, is being talked about as a small but sharp riposte to China. The Agni-IV represents a significant step towards this objective. Though it was tested for a 3,000-km range, it can easily go up to 3,500 km. The missile, however, will have to be tested several times before it can be ready for serial production and then induction.

Indian Missile Agni-II

Features of Agni-II missile :-

1.  Missile with a strike range of 3,000 km.
2.  Two-stage weapon system powered by solid propellant.
3.  It is 20 meters long and launch weight is 17 tonnes.
4.  It can carry a one tonne pay-load (RDX and other).

Supersonic BrahMos cruise missile tested Successfully

The Indian Army Sunday successfully test fired the land attack version of the supersonic BrahMos cruise missile at the Pokhran test range in Rajasthan. The missile took off successfully and hit the “bull’s eye”, an official statement said. The missile, a joint venture of India and Russia, was fired at 11.15 a.m. Sunday.” Today (Sunday) land attack version of BrahMos block-II was tested from a mobile autonomous launcher at Pokhran test range by the Indian Army. The missile took off successfully and hit the desired target at bull’s eye meeting all mission parameters,” a statement issued by the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) said. This is the second launch this month and third this year for the block-II version for the army. In the first test, the missile failed to hit the target. The army kept the results of the second test under wraps even though DRDO termed it successful.” With this launch, the requirement of army for the land attack version with block-II advanced seeker software with target discriminating capabilities has been fully met and this version is ready for induction,” the statement said. According to the DRDO officials, the missile will provide an enhanced capability to the army for selection of a particular land target among a group of targets. The launch was witnessed by Director General Military Operations Lt. Gen. A.S. Sekhon, Commandant School of Artillery Lt. Gen. K.R. Rao and Additional Director General Artillery Maj. Gen. V.K. Tiwari along with other senior army officers. The CEO of BrahMos A. Sivathanu Pillai and other senior scientists were also present during the launch, the release added. Cruise missiles fly at low altitudes and have the ability to evade enemy radars and air-defense systems. They are also easier and cheaper to operate. The Indian Army has already begun inducting the land-fired version of the BrahMos, with the first battery entering service in June 2007. Each battery is equipped with four mobile launchers mounted on heavy 12×12 Tatra transporters. The army plans to induct three more such batteries. The anti-ship naval version has also been inducted into service with its integration on the destroyer INS Rajput, with two other ships of the same class to be similarly equipped. The missiles will also be mounted on the three 7,000 tonne Kolkata class destroyers currently being constructed at Mumbai’s Mazagon docks. The missile, which takes its name from the Brahmaputra and Moskva rivers, has a 300-km range and carries a 300 kg conventional warhead. It can achieve speeds of up to 2.8 Mach or nearly three times the speed of sound.