Going ballistic: India looks to join elite missile club
By 2010-2011, India hopes
to gatecrash into a very exclusive club of countries, which have both ICBMs
(intercontinental ballistic missiles) and SLBMs (submarine-launched ballistic
missiles) as well as BMD (ballistic missile defence)
capabilities.
Only the US and Russia strictly qualify for this club as of now, if all the three capabilities — ICBM, SLBM and BMD — are taken together, with countries like China not too far behind.
Top defence scientists, on the sidelines of the annual DRDO awards on Monday, told TOI they were quite confident India would have ICBMs and SLBMs, even though their strike ranges would be much lesser than American, Russian or Chinese missiles, as also a functional BMD system soon after the turn of this decade.
DRDO, of course, often promises much more than it delivers. But this time, it's ready to walk its talk, emboldened by the successful test of the 3,500-km range Agni-III missile last week.
Take ICBMs first. "We have already started the design work for Agni-V, with a range of over 5,000-km. It basically involves development of a third composite stage for the two-stage Agni-III," said Agni programme director Avinash Chander.
"We will be ready to test Agni-V by 2010," he added. There will not be an Agni-IV missile, with DRDO leapfrogging from intermediate range Agni-III to the almost ICBM-like Agni-V. "We have the capability to go for even longer ranges but it's for the political leadership to take a decision on such matters," said Chander.
As for the fledgling but "unique" two-tier BMD system, capable of tracking and destroying hostile missiles both inside (endo) and outside (exo) the earth's atmosphere, it will be tested again in July.
The BMD system has been tested two times till now. The first test was in November 2006 when an "exo-atmospheric" hypersonic interceptor missile successfully destroyed an incoming Prithvi missile at an altitude of around 40-50 km, demonstrating a capability akin to the Israeli Arrow-2 BMD system.
The second time, in December 2007, an "endo-atmospheric" interceptor successfully took on the "enemy" missile at a 15-km altitude, on the lines of the American Patriot Advanced Capability-3 (PAC-3) system. "Around July, we will test the exo-interceptor again. This time, we will test it at an 80-km altitude against a longer range 'enemy' missile. Then, in September-October, we will test the exo and endo together," DRDO chief controller for missiles V K Saraswat told TOI.
"BMD is very important since there are ballistic missiles all around us. If you are strong in your defence, an adversary will think twice before any misadventure," he added. The BMD system should be ready for deployment by 2011 or so, after several tests against a variety of missiles to ensure a kill probability of 99.8%, said Saraswat.
The third capability in the shape of the K-15 SLBM, which has been tested only from submersible pontoon launchers so far, should also be ready by that time to be integrated into the indigenous nuclear-powered submarines being built under the secretive ATV (advanced technology vessel) programme.
The initial range of K-15 will, however, be limited to 750-km, far less than the over 5,000-km range SLBMs brandished by the 'Big-5' countries. Nevertheless, it will mark the completion of India's "nuclear triad", which so far is limited to the Agni missiles and fighters like Mirage-2000s jury-rigged to carry nuclear weapons.
Indian defence planners have long bemoaned the absence of nuclear-powered submarines, armed with nuclear-tipped missiles, since they are considered the most reliable, survivable and deadly nuclear weapons platforms.
Only the US and Russia strictly qualify for this club as of now, if all the three capabilities — ICBM, SLBM and BMD — are taken together, with countries like China not too far behind.
Top defence scientists, on the sidelines of the annual DRDO awards on Monday, told TOI they were quite confident India would have ICBMs and SLBMs, even though their strike ranges would be much lesser than American, Russian or Chinese missiles, as also a functional BMD system soon after the turn of this decade.
DRDO, of course, often promises much more than it delivers. But this time, it's ready to walk its talk, emboldened by the successful test of the 3,500-km range Agni-III missile last week.
Take ICBMs first. "We have already started the design work for Agni-V, with a range of over 5,000-km. It basically involves development of a third composite stage for the two-stage Agni-III," said Agni programme director Avinash Chander.
"We will be ready to test Agni-V by 2010," he added. There will not be an Agni-IV missile, with DRDO leapfrogging from intermediate range Agni-III to the almost ICBM-like Agni-V. "We have the capability to go for even longer ranges but it's for the political leadership to take a decision on such matters," said Chander.
As for the fledgling but "unique" two-tier BMD system, capable of tracking and destroying hostile missiles both inside (endo) and outside (exo) the earth's atmosphere, it will be tested again in July.
The BMD system has been tested two times till now. The first test was in November 2006 when an "exo-atmospheric" hypersonic interceptor missile successfully destroyed an incoming Prithvi missile at an altitude of around 40-50 km, demonstrating a capability akin to the Israeli Arrow-2 BMD system.
The second time, in December 2007, an "endo-atmospheric" interceptor successfully took on the "enemy" missile at a 15-km altitude, on the lines of the American Patriot Advanced Capability-3 (PAC-3) system. "Around July, we will test the exo-interceptor again. This time, we will test it at an 80-km altitude against a longer range 'enemy' missile. Then, in September-October, we will test the exo and endo together," DRDO chief controller for missiles V K Saraswat told TOI.
"BMD is very important since there are ballistic missiles all around us. If you are strong in your defence, an adversary will think twice before any misadventure," he added. The BMD system should be ready for deployment by 2011 or so, after several tests against a variety of missiles to ensure a kill probability of 99.8%, said Saraswat.
The third capability in the shape of the K-15 SLBM, which has been tested only from submersible pontoon launchers so far, should also be ready by that time to be integrated into the indigenous nuclear-powered submarines being built under the secretive ATV (advanced technology vessel) programme.
The initial range of K-15 will, however, be limited to 750-km, far less than the over 5,000-km range SLBMs brandished by the 'Big-5' countries. Nevertheless, it will mark the completion of India's "nuclear triad", which so far is limited to the Agni missiles and fighters like Mirage-2000s jury-rigged to carry nuclear weapons.
Indian defence planners have long bemoaned the absence of nuclear-powered submarines, armed with nuclear-tipped missiles, since they are considered the most reliable, survivable and deadly nuclear weapons platforms.
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