India's Ballistic Missile Defence (BMD) system will soon be ready for active deployment and Phase II of the India's BMD program will also start soon .BMD System will provide crucial air defence capability against Ballistic Missile fired out at Major Cities of India, but Development of India's Ballistic Missile Defence (BMD) had made countries like Pakistan to shift their Research into smaller and low profile Cruise missile to counter India's BMD which will make their Ballistic missiles highly ineffective .
The Babur (Hatf-7) land-attack cruise missile which was inducted in 2010 and has been tested eight times since, Pakistan's newest cruise missile the air-launched Ra'ad (Hatf-8) has been tested four times in all. These cruise missiles are engineered to deliver either conventional or nuclear payloads.
Ballistic missile threats from our neighbours will always remain a great concern for India and credible defence against them is the need of the hour, but current focus should also include Cruise missile Defence (CMD).
Current level of surface to air missiles deployed can take out enemy aircrafts and short range Ballistic missile but there success rate to take down Cruise missiles are still very low, INS Hanit a Sa'ar 5-class corvette of the Israeli Navy which was equipped with Barak 1 surface-to-air missiles was still hit by Hezbollah fired C-802 anti-ship cruise missile, Patriot SAM batteries also failed to detect and take down Cruise missiles fired from Iraqi forces in early phase of the operation Iraqi freedom in 2003 .
India slowly has been seeing emergence of Cruise missiles among its neighbours and threat of cruise missile proliferation and credible defence against them is still unavailable. Cruise missiles are virtually undetectable and highly survivable, even in the face of modern missile defences. Cruise missiles have tremendous advantages over ballistic missiles in defeating existing missile defences.
Pakistanis on other hand by keeping their cruise missiles Nuclear capable have blurred the distinction between tactical and strategic weapons creating a degree of uncertainty in the minds of Indian Planners. Since both Babur and Ra'ad cruise missiles can be used in a conventional or nuclear role.
Cruise missile defence (CMD), unlike ballistic missile defence, is relatively new and technologies developed to deal with this threat are likely to emerge in the coming years and India needs to also focus on this front. Cruise missiles unlike Ballistic missile are smaller and easily deployable and harder to detect when in transit. Cruise missiles on other hand are becoming more Intelligent and lethal owing to sophistication of technologies like GPS, composite materials, computers and satellites. Cruise missiles are also highly cost effective and can be manufactured at the faster rate.
In another scenario Possession of Cruise missiles in hands of terrorist will make especially India cities and coastal areas vulnerable if they are fired close to Indian border or sea lane. India while preparing itself from Ballistic Missile threats will also soon need to focus on imminent Cruise missile threats and need to improve and develop technologies for Cruise missile defence (CMD).
India needs to focus on Cruise missile Defence (CMD) | idrw.org
