Indian Missile Development

[EagleOne]

PHOTO: Underwater Launch Canister For K-15 Sagarika Missile

photograph of the R-Glass composite canister for the K-15 submarine launched missile. It's a four-layered thermal protected canister.

livefist

 

[princecarspian]

Aiming to develop a full multilayer against Ballistic Missile Defense (BMD), exercise test-fire was made from two launch sites in the ITR different Bay of Bengal

 

[ironman]

Astra Missile Update - Moving to Mk-2

 

[vikramrana_1812]

India Tests Indigenously Developed 'Astra' BVR Missile

Balasore (Orissa), July 6 For the first time, India today conducted the night trial of its indigenously developed beyond visual range (BVR) air-to-air missile 'Astra' in inclement weather. Defence sources said the sophisticated missile was test-fired from a launcher in launch pad number two of the Integrated Test Range complex at Chandipur, about 15km from here, at about 8.15 pm.


The single stage, solid fuelled 'Astra' missile was more advanced in its category than the contemporary BVR missiles and was capable of engaging and destroying highly manoeuvrable supersonic aerial targets, Defence Research Development Organisation sources said.


The 3.8m long missile, which has a diametre of 178mm, can carry a warhead containing explosives weighing 15 kg and can be fitted to any fighter aircraft. It was intended to be eventually integrated with IAF's Sukhoi-30 MKI, MiG-29, Mirage-2000, Jaguar and the Tejas Light Combat Aircraft, the sources said. — PTI

http://theasiandefence.blogspot.com/2010/07/india-tests-indigenously-developed.html

 

[nitesh]

cross post:

Agni II to be tested in September

A "totally new missile," called Agni II – is to be tested in September from the Wheeler Island, off the Orissa coast.

Any body's guess what "new" is in this missile?

 

[Rahul Singh]

Nitesh. This new Agni-2 is tentatively called Agni AT. Most significant improvement in this new variant is all new surface, which as per some is made up of high strength, low weight material which produces significantly less drag, IMO it directly translates into better 'range vs weight' performance. I have seen its artistic impression where it had blunt nose which means MIRV capability. Also unlike Agni-2 this Agni AT features no control fin that directly means divert nozzles. Other than these better navigation aid, computers and may also feature canister(presently in my wildest dreams).

 

[nitesh]

Nitesh. This new Agni-2 is tentatively called Agni AT. Most significant improvement in this new variant is all new surface, which as per some is made up of high strength, low weight material which produces significantly less drag, IMO it directly translates into better 'range\weight' performance. I have seen its artistic impression where it had blunt nose which means MIRV capability. Also unlike Agni-2 this Agni AT features no control fin that directly means divert nozzles. Other than these better navigation aid, computers and may also feature canister(presently in my wildest dreams).

Rahul, by any chance does this means all composite missile?. They should be practically demonstrating the MIRV now.

 

[Sridhar]

Asked about the new version of Agni-II being planned, Thomas, who was on Monday honoured along with the entire team of Agni-III by the Prime Minister, told PTI that "It is still a confidential project. It will be called Agni-II A (2)."

http://sify.com/news/india-gets-its-first-missile-woman-news-national-jegr7Rghefb.html

 

[Rahul Singh]

Rahul, by any chance does this means all composite missile?. They should be practically demonstrating the MIRV now.

Nitesh if people are to believed then this missile will be all composite by surface. Presently can't say about rest of the section but recently we have taken great strides in developing high strength low weight material and possibility of using composite materials wherever possible is very high. One thing that clocks most is its development time. Development of Agni AT(advanced technology) started way back in 2008 and became a hot news because project head appointed was a lady. Now question arises if this missile is just an improved Agni-2 then why it will take 2 complete years. I guess some new technologies will be tested for first time and will bring surprises to many.

 

[EagleOne]

Status of missile development programmes, currently being run in the country, are given below:-



(i) Nag - It is a 3rd Generation Anti-Tank Missile having 'top attack' and 'fire and forget' capability with a range of 4 km. Its validation trial based on User Trial feedback has been completed successfully. Missile system is ready to enter production /induction phase.

(ii) HELINA - It is the Helicopter Version of 3rd Generation Anti-Tank Guided Missile with a range of more than 7 km. Launchers have been cleared for captive carriage trials and handed over to Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) for carriage trials.

(iii) Astra – It is Air-to-Air Missile system for beyond visual range, designated to be a missile for Light Combat Aircraft (LCA). Its two guided flight trials from ground launcher have been undertaken during July 2010.

(iv) LR-SAM – It is a Long Range Surface-to-Air Missile (LR-SAM) jointly developed / produced by DRDO and IAI, Israel. Its Ballistic flight trials was undertaken in May 2010.

(v) MR-SAM – It is a Medium Range Surface-to-Air Missile (MR-SAM) jointly developed/produced by DRDO and IAI, Israel. Its preliminary design has been carried out. Pre-tender briefing to all prospective vendors has also been carried out.

(vi) Agni Series of Surface-to-Surface Missiles: Agni-I with a range of 700 km and Agni-II with a range of more than 2000 km have been developed and inducted into Services. Agni-III with a range of 3000 km is ready for induction into Services.

(vii) BrahMos – it is a Supersonic Cruise Missile. It has twin roles against sea and land based targets and can be fitted on multiple platforms including ships, submarines, aircraft and mobile ground platforms. The missile has range of 290 km with 200 kg warhead and a speed of more than 2.8 mach number. BrahMos Supersonic Cruise Missile development programme started as a joint venture between India and Russia through an Inter Government Agreement in February 1998. It has already been inducted in Indian Navy and Indian Army. The Air Version of the missile is under development.



Except BrahMos, no offer has been received from any country for joint venture in missile development programmes. There is no plan to accept the conditions of Missile Technology Control Regime.



This information was given by Defence Minister Shri AK Antony in a written reply to Shri SB Wankhede and Shri AP Shivaji in Lok Sabha today.


http://pib.nic.in/release/release.asp?relid=64466

 

[Patriot]

Agni-III ready for induction: AK Antony

NEW DELHI (PTI): After the Agni-I and Agni-II surface-to-surface missiles, the 3000-km range Agni-III missile is ready for being inducted into the service, Lok Sabha was informed on Monday.

"700 km range Agni-I and 2000 km range Agni-II have been developed and inducted into service. Agni-III with a range of 3000 km is ready for induction," Defence Minister A K Antony said in reply to a question.

He said the third generation Nag anti-tank missile's user trials have been successfully conducted and the system is ready for induction into the production phase.

The 3000 km range surface-to-surface nuclear capable Agni-III missile.


On the Indo-Israeli joint venture Medium range Surface to Air Missile (MR-SAM) programme, the Minister said pre-tender briefing of all prospective vendors has been carried out.

Antony said the first flight test of the jointly developed Long Range Surface to Air Missile (LR-SAM) with Israel was done in May this year.

Answering another query, he said the Defence Acquisition Council (DAC) has accepted the proposal for procuring 42 more Sukhoi-30 MKI aircraft from Russia at an estimated cost of Rs 20107.40 crore and they are planned to be delivered between 2014 and 2018.




http://www.brahmand.com/news/Agni-III-ready-for-induction-AK-Antony/4679/1/10.html

 

[nitesh]

Expanding India's Nuclear Options

 

[neo29]

Agni 3 getting inducted is good news. But i hope it doesnt have night blindness problem just like the Agni 2 had faced.

 

[anoop_mig25]

so agani2 has night blindness problem ? can anybody clear picture .

 

[Aathithya2]

Expanding India's Nuclear Options

The Indian announcement last week of the development of a new Agni-II intermediate-range nuclear missile illustrates a growing flexibility in New Delhi's nuclear force posture, Frank O'Donnell comments for ISN Security Watch.
By Frank O'Donnell for ISN Security Watch

India is entering a new stage of technical sophistication in its nuclear force development as it moves beyond its reliance on air-delivered nuclear gravity bombs to make the short-range Prithvi missile model the core of its operational nuclear arsenal.Indian government statements postulate the future Indian nuclear force as resting on pillars of its long-range Agni missile suite and emerging nuclear-armed submarine force. The first missiles of the Agni suite, the 700-kilometer-range Agni-I and 2,000km-range Agni II, are presently being inducted into the Indian Army. This demonstrates Indian intentions to ensure a credible nuclear threat is retained against Pakistan and posed to China, while signalling its technological military capability as part of its campaign for great power status.

This is illustrated by the announcement last week of a new Agni II missile in development with a projected range of 2,750-3,000km. The reach of this missile sits between the present Agni-II model and the Agni-III, with a range of 3,500km. The new Agni-II missile program has been revealed not long after the announcement of the development of an Agni-V model, the first Indian ICBM, with a projected range of 5,000-6,000km.

The new Agni-II missile is designed to fit a perceived small gap in missile ranges. This elaborates the level of Indian political and economic investment devoted to the fielding of its long-range land-based nuclear missile force, as only one pillar of its nuclear triad.The development of the Agni missile suite serves as an effective prism through which to analyse the range of nuclear force postures becoming available to Indian strategists. Technological advancements in nuclear delivery platforms can also place new nuclear strategy options in the hands of India's rulers.

Since the promulgation of India's first nuclear doctrine in 1999, India has characterized its nuclear force as being defined by a doctrine of "minimum credible deterrence." The word 'minimum' is intended to signal restraint in nuclear arsenal size. However, this is modified by the word "credible," which ties the size of India's nuclear deterrent to what is considered to pose a credible nuclear threat to rivals. The inherent tension between these terms is amplified by the new possibilities provided by India's nuclear arsenal development.

The 1999 doctrine, and its 2003 revision, outlined India's commitment to developing a nuclear triad of land, air and sea delivery systems. The size of the triad would be guided by this doctrine of "minimum credible deterrence." However, it is presently uncertain if Indian nuclear force modernization is directed at realizing this objective of a "minimum' deterrent," or if it is reflecting potential new nuclear ambitions prioritizing the credibility of Indian nuclear deterrence over concerns of arsenal size.

This question of the character of India's future nuclear force and doctrine is animating present debates in Indian strategic discourse. Recent discussions regarding the outcome of the thermonuclear test in May 1998 extended to include the desirability and strategic necessity of a new round of Indian nuclear tests.

Another debate focuses on evaluating the benefits of Indian adherence to a declaratory no-first-use posture. Indian analysts are therefore beginning to explore alternatives to the present declaratory emphasis on nuclear restraint and a small, defensive nuclear triad.

India's nuclear force, and the doctrine guiding its development, is in a stage of flux. How the Agni missile suite is integrated into India's nuclear force, including the scale of missile production and deployment, will illuminate how Indian strategists view the role of the nuclear force in Indian defense projection and global power aspirations.
As domestic strategic debates continue and new delivery platforms provide for increased flexibility regarding Indian nuclear doctrine and force posture, its future nuclear force may be characterized by values and strategic objectives at variance to those currently stated.

Frank O'Donnell is currently studying for his MSc in Strategic Studies at University of Aberdeen. He has an MA Honours (first class) in international relations and Middle East studies from the University of St Andrews.
The views and opinions expressed herein are those of the author only, not the International Relations and Security Network (ISN).

 

[neo29]

Dont you guys know that Agni 2 had failed consecutively in night trials last year basically making the missile unusable at night.

Hope this helps

The debacle of the first ever night trial of India's nuclear capable Intermediate Range Ballistic Missile (IRBM), Agni-II, has put the credibility of DRDO scientists at stake. The trial was conducted by the Army from the Wheeler Island off Orissa coast yesterday evening. Defence sources said the trial failed to meet many of the mission parameters.

For the second time within six months this indigenously built 2000-km plus range missile has failed to deliver desired results which raised doubts on the deployment of the missile, considered as one of the trusted missiles of the country.

''Like the unsuccessful previous test on May 19, this time too the missile developed technical glitches at the stage separation phase. Although it crossed the first stage separation phase, because of inherent problem it had cumulative effects on other systems,'' an official said today.

The official indicated that the control and command system to the fins which provides aero-dynamic thrust to the vehicle was locked thereby plunging the missile into the sea. "During the May trial the missile started wandering midway before falling, but this time it directly plunged into the sea. In fact it was one of the worst trials ever," he said.

''Besides, the India-made inertial navigation system (INS) that guided the missile on its coordinated path by mid-way corrections also failed to provide the desired levels of performance. Significantly, during the developmental trials (all successful) foreign made INS used to be fitted into the missile,'' he pointed out.

During post-mission analysis (PMA) it was found that the missile had covered 97 km in nearly 41 seconds while on earlier occasion it had covered around 203 km in 127 seconds. But peculiarly the scientists reportedly claim to have done a great job by launching the missile during night.

Meanwhile, several defence analysts have criticised the DRDO for the recurring failures. ''It is high time the DRDO should come out with facts as to where the faults lie as it relates to the Indian defence and tax payers money.

The political class of the country will have to give a pertinent and plausible reply to the recurring failures of the missile programmes," he added.

The establishments like ITR should be brought out of the clutches of the defence research and development laboratory (DRDL) and put under director general quality assurance (DGQA) for impartial evaluation of the technical data and thus minimising the chances of manoeuvring and fabrication of the PMA data.

http://expressbuzz.com/States/Orissa/agni-ii-night-trial-%E2%80%98it-was-one-of-the-worst/124714.html

 

[nrj]

AGNI III ready for induction!

 

[nitesh]

India considering deploying missiles in North-East - Yahoo! India News

 

[The Messiah]

We should be investing to get a proper ICBM which has range of around 15,000km.

 

[Param]

We should be investing to get a proper ICBM which has range of around 15,000km.

To target what country? we don't need that. We only need 5000km range ones to target China. Maybe a small fleet of SSBNs with 8 to 10,000 km SLBMs in the future would also be a good idea.