Shaurya surfaces as India's underwater nuclear missile

[JayATL]

The country's top defence scientist has, for the first time, revealed that India's new Shaurya missile, which can carry a one-tonne nuclear warhead over 750 kilometers, is specially designed to be fired from Indian submarines and could form the crucial third leg of India's nuclear deterrent.

If launched from a submarine off the China coast, it could hit several Chinese cities like Beijing, Nanjing and Shanghai.Air and land-based nuclear weapons are delivered to their targets by fighter aircraft and ballistic missiles, respectively. Since these can be knocked out by an enemy first strike, the most reliable nuclear deterrent has traditionally been underwater, missiles hidden in a submarine.



V K Saraswat, the DRDO chief and Scientific Advisor to the Defence Minister, revealed to Business Standard at the ongoing Defexpo 2010, "We have designed the Shaurya so that it can be launched from under water as easily as from land. The gas-filled canister that houses the missile fits easily into a submarine. The underwater leg of the nuclear triad needs to be totally reliable and needs a state-of-the-art missile."

India's undersea deterrent had so far revolved around the K-15 ballistic missile, built with significant help from Russia. The K-15 was to equip the INS Arihant, India's lone nuclear-powered submarine, which is being constructed in Visakhapatnam. But now, after rigorous underwater testing, the Shaurya could be the mainstay of Arihant's arsenal.

"The Shaurya was developed from ground up as a submarine-capable missile," confirms Dr Prahlada, the top DRDO scientist responsible for liaising with the military. "Every piece of technology for fitting it in a submarine is already in place."

Shortly before the Defexpo 2010, Dr Saraswat had publicly stated that India's missile technology was ahead of China's and Pakistan's.

Now top DRDO scientists have revealed that the Shaurya is not a ballistic missile, as it has been thought to be; it is actually a hypersonic cruise missile, which never leaves the atmosphere.

A ballistic missile is like a stone being lobbed towards a target. Rockets toss it upwards and towards the target; after the rocket burns out, gravity pulls the missile warhead down towards the target. Buffeted by wind and re-entry forces, accuracy is a problem; and, since the ballistic missile's path is predictable, shooting it down is relatively easy.

The Shaurya has none of these issues. Its solid-fuel, two-stage rocket accelerates the missile to six times the speed of sound before it reaches an altitude of 40 kilometers (125,000 feet), after which it levels out and cruises towards the target, powered by its onboard fuel.

While ballistic missiles cannot correct their course midway, the Shaurya is an intelligent missile. Onboard navigation computers kick in near the target, guiding the missile to the target and eliminating errors that inevitably creep in during its turbulent journey.

The Shaurya, say DRDO sources, will strike within 20-30 metres of its target after travelling 750 kilometres.

Conventional cruise missiles, like the American Tomahawk and the Indo-Russian Brahmos, offer similar accuracy. But their air-breathing engines carry them along slowly, rendering them vulnerable to enemy aircraft and missiles. The Shaurya's solid-fuel, air-independent engine propels it along at hypersonic speeds, leaving enemy fighters and missiles far behind.

"I would say the Shaurya is a hybrid propulsion missile", says Dr Saraswat. "Like a ballistic missile, it is powered by solid fuel. And, like a cruise missile, it can guide itself right up to the target."

Making the Shaurya even more capable is its ability to manoeuvre, following a twisting path to the target that makes it very difficult to shoot it down. In contrast, a ballistic missile is predictable; its trajectory gives away its target and its path to it.

Shaurya surfaces as India's underwater nuclear missile | idrw.org

 

[JayATL]

Kind of a bold statement to say India's missle tech is more advanced than chinese. Pakistan I can understand...but chinese? I really don't know much about the two programes to have an strong opinion eitherway...

 

[LETHALFORCE]

Kind of a bold statement to say India's missle tech is more advanced than chinese. Pakistan I can understand...but chinese? I really don't know much about the two programes to have an strong opinion eitherway...

Do Chinese have a MACH 6 cruise missile with 700-1000km range??

 

[Mad Indian]

Ya i too doubt it, when they say that Indian missile program is technologically more advanced that the Chinese. Can anyone throw some light on it if it is true. No fanboyism please, just objective analysis!

 

[Mad Indian]

Do Chinese have a MACH 6 cruise missile with 700-1000km range??

neither does India!

 

[LETHALFORCE]

neither does India!

what is Shaurya??

 

[JayATL]

what is Shaurya??

I thought I read it is mach 6 till it reaches 40 kilometers, but then what speed does it cruise after?

I mean does that qualify as a mach 6 hybrid missle or partial mach 6 . just asking

 

[LETHALFORCE]

I thought I read it is mach 6 till it reaches 40 kilometers, but then what speed does it cruise after?

I mean does that qualify as a mach 6 hybrid missle or partial mach 6 . just asking

Shourya Missile - Indian Defense Projects Sentinel


The Shourya is comparable to Russia's Iskander missile that can cruise at hypersonic speed of Mach 6 - 7 at a height of 50 km and maneuver to evade ballistic missile defenses. The Iskander-M weighs 4,615 kg and carries a warhead of 710 – 800 kg to a range of 480 km, achieving a CEP of 5 – 7 m.


Shourya's first stage takes the missile to an altitude of 7km. The second stage lofts it further up to 40 kms. The missile then flips over and flies at constant altitude at seven times the speed of sound like a cruise missile.

 

[balai_c]

Shaurya as far as I know, is a BGRV(boost guided reentry vehicle). It is a quasi-ballistic missile, capable of changing its flight path at the terminal end of the trajectory. It cannot be a cruise missile, since it does not breathe air, so does not have a jet engine. It is a solid fuel powered missile that never leaves the atmosphere,so is hard or interception by conventional ABM systems.There are very few true BGRVs in the world, including china (I do not know if china has an operational BGRV).

 

[Mad Indian]

what is Shaurya??

Shaurya is a quasi ballistic missle no????

 

[SPIEZ]

Kind of a bold statement to say India's missle tech is more advanced than chinese. Pakistan I can understand...but chinese? I really don't know much about the two programes to have an strong opinion eitherway...

A brief look at our space program will tell you that India is capable of delivering such missile systems. While the anti-missile scenario would be totally different.

 

[LETHALFORCE]

Shaurya is a quasi ballistic missle no????

You can say it is a hybrid. How many Ballistic missiles can fly at a low altitude and have
a CEP of 5. Shaurya is not strictly a cruise missile or a ballistic missile but other versions
K-4,K-15 might be??

 

[LETHALFORCE]

Shaurya as far as I know, is a BGRV(boost guided reentry vehicle). It is a quasi-ballistic missile, capable of changing its flight path at the terminal end of the trajectory. It cannot be a cruise missile, since it does not breathe air, so does not have a jet engine. It is a solid fuel powered missile that never leaves the atmosphere,so is hard or interception by conventional ABM systems.There are very few true BGRVs in the world, including china (I do not know if china has an operational BGRV).

Chinese are trying to have a ballistic missile act like a cruise missile with
DF-21 carrier killer but DF21 is strictly a ballistic missile. I doubt their claims
to start and really doubt the CEP and range of their claims.

 

[agentperry]

when it comes to deception indian govt is among the best. shaurya, sagarika and k-15, they play with words and confuse people. they are one and the samething, then they are different missile with same structure etc etc. now they are different missiles with only concept being equal. good work in confusing. from now on my knowledge about the missiles is zero

 

[SPIEZ]

Chinese are trying to have a ballistic missile act like a cruise missile with
DF-21 carrier killer but DF21 is strictly a ballistic missile. I doubt their claims
to start and really doubt the CEP and range of their claims.

That would be way to underestimating the Chinese, I think they would definitely come up with such a thing if the requirement props up.

 

[LETHALFORCE]

That would be way to underestimating the Chinese, I think they would definitely come up with such a thing if the requirement props up.

How will they accurately hit an aircraft carrier 1000km away in the ocean. Impossible.

 

[KS]

Two year old news.

Shaurya surfaces as India's underwater nuclear missile

 

[SPIEZ]

How will they accurately hit an aircraft carrier 1000km away in the ocean. Impossible.

If our missile's can have CCEP of less than 10m or 5m, I think these missiles can very well hit the aircraft or at least claim to hit the aircraft.

 

[JayATL]

Chinese are trying to have a ballistic missile act like a cruise missile with
DF-21 carrier killer but DF21 is strictly a ballistic missile. I doubt their claims
to start and really doubt the CEP and range of their claims.

Till they hack into your secrets and grab the know how from the Indians. they probably , Infact I could bet my last dollar- they are already tapped into all Indian military systems. If they have done so with the US systems...then it's no big deal to tap into the Indian high value network

 

[nrj]

Till they hack into your secrets and grab the know how from the Indians. they probably , Infact I could bet my last dollar- they are already tapped into all Indian military systems. If they have done so with the US systems...then it's no big deal to tap into the Indian high value network

In any case, US/India are one step ahead of know-hows of missile technology.