With the strength of over 1.4 million active personnel the Indian Armed Forces is the world's second-largest military force next to China and has the world's fourth-largest defence budget. Today in this post we are going to review the 4 most powerful weapons of Indian Armed Forces at present.
BrahMos Supersonic Cruise Missile
The BrahMos is a medium-range ramjet supersonic cruise missile that can be launched from submarine, ships, aircraft, or land and can carry both nuclear and conventional warheads.
It is the fastest supersonic cruise missile and the world's fastest anti-ship cruise missile in operation. The missile is equipped with stealth technology designed to make it less visible to radar and other detection methods.
BrahMos claims it has the capability of attacking surface targets by flying as low as five meters thereby making it extremely difficult for enemy radar to detect.
Currently the indian army deployed its BrahMos regiments in Rajasthan and Arunachal Pradesh. The air-launched and naval versions of BrahMos are already operational and are in active service.
Agni Missile Series
The Agni missiles are long range, nuclear weapons capable surface to surface ballistic missiles.
The Agni missile series has a operational range varying from 700 km to 8.000+ km.
The latest MIRV capaple Agni 6 which has a operational range of 10.000+ km is under development.
Kolkata Class Destroyer
The Kolkata class are a class of stealth guided missile destroyers constructed for the Indian Navy and are the largest destroyers to be operated by the Indian Navy.
These are the first stealth destroyers being built by India and marked a significant development in India's shipbuilding technology. The ships would incorporate modern weapons and sensors, and will have an advanced information warfare suite and an auxiliary control system with a sophisticated power distribution architecture, and modular crew quarters.
The class have a length of 163 m and total displacement 7.400 tonnes. The supersonic BrahMos anti-ship and land-attack missiles are the primary offensive armament of the Kolkata class. The ship's main air-defence armament is composed of four eight-cell vertical launching systems allowing for up to thirty-two Barak 8 air defence missiles.
Indian Ballistic Missile Defence Programme
The Indian Ballistic Missile Defense Programme is an initiative to develop and deploy a multi-layered ballistic missile defence system to protect India from ballistic missile attacks.
Introduced in light of the ballistic missile threat from mainly Pakistan as well as from China, it is a double-tiered system consisting of two land and sea-based interceptor missiles, namely the Prithvi Air Defence missile for high altitude interception, and the Advanced Air Defence missile for lower altitude interception.
The two-tiered shield should be able to intercept any incoming missile launched from 5.000 kilometres away. India became the fourth country to have successfully developed an anti-ballistic missile system after United States, Russia and Israel. China became the 5th country to do so.
In a joint venture between India's DRDO and Russia's NPO, the the SS-N-26 Oniks based BrahMos PJ-10 was developed to be the world's fastest cruise missile. Based on the Russian P-800 Oniks, the BrahMos uses a solid propellant booster and ramjet system to travel at speeds between Mach 2.5 and 2.8. It can be launched from multiple platforms to include land launchers, submarines, ships and aircraft.
Model includes adjustable thrust vanes and 2048x2048 texture and bump maps.
Algunos lectores nos han manifestado su interés por conocer un poco más la capacidad misilística de la India. Haciéndonos eco de su petición, ofrecemos a continuación un listado que comprende la información de que disponemos. No incluye misiles en desarrollo.
MUY CORTO ALCANCE
• Nag Antitanque. 500 m - 4 km (tierra-tierra) y 7 Km - 10 Km (aire-tierra)
• Akash (Tierra-aire. 30 Km) CORTO ALCANCE • Prithvi-I (SS-150) (Balístico. 150 Km) • Prithvi-II (SS-250) (Balístico. 250 Km - 350 Km) • Prithvi-III (SS-350) (Balístico. 350 km - 600 km)
• Brahmos (Crucero. Supersónico. 300 Km - 500 Km)
ALCANCE INTERMEDIO
• Agni-I (Alcance: 700 – 1200 km)
• Shaurya (Balístico. Hipersónico, 700 - 1800 Km)
• K-15 (Alcance: 750 - 1500 km) (Lanzable desde submarinos)
• Agni-II (Alcance: 2,000 – 2,500 km)
• Agni-III (Alcance: 3,000 – 5,000 km)
• Agni-IV (Alcance: 2,500 – 3,700 km)
• K-4 Mark-I (Alcance: 3,500-5,000 km) (Lanzable desde submarinos) INTERCONTINENTALES
The Indian Air Force (IAF) will deploy the supersonic BrahMos missiles on to its frontline Sukhoi-30 fighter jets, a top official has confirmed. Press Trust of India cited the official, saying the missile’s first test launch is scheduled to be conducted by the end of 2014. BrahMos Aerospace managing director and chief executive AS Pillai said the air version of the BrahMos missile is ready, but testing, simulations and aircraft modifications will take another year. Currently, the BrahMos is deployed with the Indian Army and the Indian Navy while the air platform is due to be completed.
India and Russia are expected to sign a pact during Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's visit there to extend their partnership indefinitely for producing the BrahMos supersonic cruise missile.
The BrahMos, jointly developed by India and Russia, is capable of carrying a conventional warhead of 300 kg at a maximum speed of 2.8 Mach (or 2.8 times the speed of sound). India is readying several versions of the missile which includes land attack, anti-ship and submarine-launched versions.
India and Russia had recently also agreed to develop a hypersonic version of the cruise missile. India has plans of deploying the BrahMos on its frontline fighter aircraft Su-30MKI in next few years and trials are expected to be carried out by early next year.
India’s successful test-launch of the nuclear-capable, intercontinental, surface-to-surface ballistic missile, Agni-V on September 15, 2013, following the April 2012 launch of the 5,000 kms range version of the same Agni-5 by Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) is again a significant achievement.
DRDO’s inventory of missiles coupled with the versions of BrahMos missiles places India in the top league with China, France, Russia, the US, Britain and Israel. On February 19, 2013, BrahMos Aerospace celebrated “Aardhik Diwas” — Partnership Day — to commemorate 15 years of missile making. “BrahMos is a formidable weapon system. It has offered more punch and strike capability for the three services. We owe it all to Dr A.S. Pillai, CEO & MD, BrahMos Aeropsace and Dr A.G. Leonov, director general, NPOM. It is because of the zeal and enthusiasm of Dr Pillai that we have reached this stage,” remarked Air Chief Marshal N.A.K. Browne, Air Chief and Chairman, Chiefs of Staff Committee.
Coined as a combination of Brahmaputra and Moscva rivers, this is a versatile supersonic cruise missile system launchable from submarines, ships, aircraft or land, which was successfully accomplished by 2006. At speeds of Mach 2.5 to 2.8, it is the world’s fastest cruise missile, about three and a half times faster than the American subsonic Harpoon cruise missile. BrahMos, with a maximum range of 290 km, can attack surface targets by flying as low as 10 metres over surface-level and can gain a speed of Mach 2.8. The ship-launched and land-based missiles can carry a 200 kg warhead, whereas the aircraft-launched variant, BrahMos A, can carry a 300 kg warhead. The high speed of the BrahMos likely gives it better target-penetration characteristics than lighter subsonic cruise-missiles such as the Tomahawk.
Being twice as heavy and almost four times faster than the Tomahawk, the BrahMos has more than 32 times the on-cruise kinetic energy of a Tomahawk missile, although it carries only 3/5th the payload and a fraction of the range despite weighing twice as much, which suggests that the missile was designed with a different tactical role. Its Mach 2.8 speed means that it cannot be intercepted by some existing missile defence systems and its precision makes it lethal to water targets or those in a cluster.
Main Milestones
2001
BrahMos was first test-fired on June 12, 2001 from the Integrated Test Range (ITR), Chandipur, in a vertical launch configuration.
2008
On March 5, 2008, the land attack version of the missile was fired from the destroyer INS Rajput and the missile hit and destroyed the selected target amidst a cluster of targets.
The missile was vertically launched on December 18, 2008, from INS Ranvir.
2009
On March 4, 2009, BrahMos was tested again with a new navigation system, found successful and then test-fired yet again on March 29, 2009. For this test, the missile had to identify a building among a cluster of buildings in an urban environment. It successfully hit the intended target within two-and-a-half minutes of launch. What made a quantum difference was the new “seeker,” considered unique and capable of seeking targets, which may be insignificant in terms of size, in a cluster of large buildings. India is now the only nation in the world with this advanced technology. After the third test, the Indian Army confirmed that the test was extremely successful and approved the missile. This marked the completion of development phase of BrahMos Block-II.
2010
On March 21, 2010, BrahMos was test-fired and struck a free-floating ship piercing it above the waterline and destroying it completely. The test proved the missile’s manoeuvrability at supersonic speed before hitting a target, making India the first and only country to have a manoeuvrable supersonic cruise missile.
On September 5, 2010, BrahMos created a world record for being the first cruise missile to be tested at supersonic speeds in a steep-dive mode, achieving the Army’s requirement for land attacks with Block-II “advanced seeker software” along with “target discriminating capabilities.” BrahMos became the only supersonic cruise missile possessing advanced capability of selection of a particular land target amongst a group of targets, providing the user with an important edge of precision without collateral damage.
The Block III version of the missile was successfully test-fired on December 2, 2010, from ITR, Chandipur, with advanced guidance and upgraded software, incorporating high manoeuvres at multiple points and steep dive from high altitude. The steep dive capability of the Block III enables it to hit targets hidden behind a mountain range.
2011
On August 12, 2011, it was test-fired by ground forces and met all mission parameters.
2012
On March 4, 2012, it was test-fired by an Indian Army unit at the Pokharan range in Rajasthan to operationalise the second regiment of the weapon system in the Army. With this test, attended by top brass including vice chief Lt. Gen. Shri Krishna Singh and Director General Military Operations (DGMO) Lt. Gen. A.K. Chaudhary, the second BrahMos unit of the Indian Army became operational.
On October 7, 2012, the Indian Navy successfully test-fired BrahMos from the guided missile frigate INS Teg. This new highly manoeuvrable version was fitted with advanced satellite navigation systems turning it into a “super-rocket” capable of hitting targets over 300–500 km from sea, land and air launchers, and capable of carrying a nuclear warhead.
2013
The submarine-launched variant of Brahmos was test fired successfully for the first time from a submerged pontoon near Visakhapatnam at the coast of Bay of Bengal on 20 March 2013. This was the first vertical launch of a supersonic missile from a submerged platform. The missile can be launched from a depth of 40 to 50 meters.
Future developments
The purchase of over 200 air-launched BrahMos supersonic cruise missiles for the IAF was cleared by Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) on October 19, 2012, at the cost of `6,000 crore ($1 billion). This includes funds for the integration and testing of the BrahMos on IAF’s Su-30MKI. Two Su-30MKI modified by the Hindustan Aeronautics Limited at its Nashik facility where they will also be integrated with the missile’s aerial launcher. The trial is expected to be conducted in early 2014.
Under development is a smaller variant of the air-launched BrahMos, to arm the Sukhoi Su-30MKI, Mirage 2000, future induction like the 126 Dassault Rafale, and the Indian Navy’s MiG-29K. A model of the new variant was showcased on 20 February 2013, at the 15th anniversary celebrations of BrahMos Aerospace. This smaller version is three metres shorter than the present missile will also have a range of 290 km. The Sukhoi SU-30MKI will carry three missiles while other combat aircraft will carry one each. BrahMos is reportedly attempting a hypersonic Mach 8 version of the missile, BrahMos II, the first ever hypersonic cruise missile, expected to be ready soon. Former President of India, A.P.J. Abdul Kalam has reportedly recommended to BrahMos Aerospace to develop an advanced hypersonic version of the BrahMos cruise missile to maintain India’s lead in the field.
India ha probado con éxito el misil nuclear Prithvi-II, como parte de una serie de maniobras de sus Fuerzas Armadas.
Este misil tierra-tierra monoetapa de corto alcance (350 Km) es el primero desarrollado por el Programa de Desarrollo de Misiles Guiados Integrados de India. Va impulsado por dos motores de propulsión líquida y utiliza un sistema inercial avanzado para ejecutar las maniobras de trayectoria. En cuanto a su capacidad destructiva merece destacarse que puede transportar ojivas de entre 500 y 1.000 Kg.
La nación surasiática también dispone de la serie Agni cuya última versión puede golpear objetivos a más de cinco mil kilómetros, y del Brahmos, este último desarrollado en cooperación con Rusia. Todos pueden transportar ojivas nucleares y forman parte de la carrera armamentista que la nación surasiática mantiene con el vecino Pakistán, que también fabrica sus propios misiles balísticos.
