India's Anti-Satellite (ASAT) Weapons

[Arihant Roy]

The last thing the IIR seeker saw right before hitting Microsat R.

A strap down IIR seeker has been used. Look at the image quality, the resolution and you will realise what is the FPA resolution.

Indian industry played an important role in this Mission. The indigenous content in PDV MKII is 90 percent.

Discussions on the ASAT interceptor project started after Modi came to power in 2014. The formal approval was given in 2016. It's a momentous achievement for the country and DRDO.

Extensive testing of the KKV especially the divert thrusters and the altitude control system has been carried out. You will find a clip of the kill vehicle being tested out with the four lateral thrusters at the Centre and the eight thrusters at the base firing intermittently.

 

[AnantS]

cleaned first and second image for you .

 

[Arihant Roy]

Some more details-

1. The missile weighs approximately 19 tons and is 13 metres in length. To put things in perspective, A4 weighs 17 tons. Now you know what is the slant range of this missile.

2. The strap down IIR seeker has a range of 200 kms. Yes, you read it right. 200 it is.

3. The missile can intercept satellites at alt well over 1000 km.

4. No more tests in this orbit will be required according to the Chief.

5. Microsat R was detected and tracked from four places. One is that MOTR radar of ISRO. The other three must be LRTR and MFCR radars.

6. Shaheen 1,1A,2, 3 and the vaunted Abadeel have been rendered vulnerable and obsolete. They can be squatted from the sky like flies now. Pakistan's nuke deterrence has been eroded to such an extent that it doesn't pose any threat to us now. Pakistan can keep their nukes and blow them up at Gafoor's child's birthday party.


Guys, those of you who are on Twitter, pls reply to Mr Vipin and Mr Ankit,. You know what to do.

 

[porky_kicker]

Yep. You are right. Watch the DRDO press briefing. But the Divert control system can provide variable thrust.

Even indranil @BR was unable to identify what the 8 vents/ports were for .

As for the variable thrust of DCS , watch the video again . You are falling for a optical illusion of sorts.

Divert thrusters provide ON/OFF thrust of predetermined thrust levels , which is different from variable thrust .

Basic analogy will be

Divert control thrusters = DC Circuit producing current of certain fixed magnitudes within a predetermined range.

and

Altitude control thrusters = AC circuit producing current varying infinitely within a predetermined range.

I hope this should clear up any doubts.

Again another rough analogy
When it comes to accuracy in electrical circuits which is preferred AC or DC ?

Answer : AC because you have infinite no of points one can select ( varying current ) , while in DC you have only 2 states to select ( fixed current ).

So DCS is used to maneuver the KKV into position , while the ACS is used for very precise positioning of the KKV after that and continues providing varying thrust of required magnitude as and when needed to keep the KKV in its intended path , taking care of even small errors which might creep in while in flight. ( Generally )

There is the reason why such arrangement is used in a KKV ( generally ).

 

[sayareakd]

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[sayareakd]

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[sayareakd]

@porky_kicker you must be loving it as i do.................................................

 

[neel9821]

Very good video by DRDO

 

[Prashant12]

India's Anti-Satellite Test - Official DRDO Film

 

[sayareakd]

Looks like canister of ASAT.

 

[sayareakd]

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Looks like Drdo tried to fool people looking through satellite pics.

 

[porky_kicker]

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Looks like Drdo tried to fool people looking through satellite pics.

Or maybe the ASAT can be fired from the same.

Placing adaptors inside the cannister will easily allow the ASAT to be fired plus the A5 cannister has a integral gas generator at the bottom if I am correct to eject the article , so minimum tweaking needed to cater for gas pressure required to eject the ASAT safely.

So why reinvent the wheel when one can use the same with bare minimum modifications ?

Plus this system ( or its variants ) will potentially end up as a direct ascend mode interceptor for taking out ICBMs , so operationally a cannister based system makes sense.

The ASAT seems to fit the A5 cannister

And let me ask this question , K4 missile silos in the SSBNs use which cannisters ?

 

[WARREN SS]

From the IIR Seeker

 

[porky_kicker]

Any body can take snapshots from the DRDO video of the DACS ( divert and altitude control system ) test , it is very interesting different from US ones.

 

[cyclops]

Summary of the ASAT press conference:

1. Dr. G. S. Reddy did not technically answer the several probing questions about incremental tests in higher altitudes(so chances are there will be more ASAT tests for the same).
2. As for the so called failed test in 12th Feb, on being prompted if it was also an ASAT test he clearly said it was a "Ballistic missile test against an electronic target" "which gave a lot of information, which has been used for many applications".
3. DRDO is also pursuing other counter space tech, mentioned "lasers", "high electromagnetic energy based technologies" & refused to divulge a few others.
4. As for the debris, the risk is basically for 10 days which we have crossed, also laterally the ISS at the point of the ASAT test(Bay of Bengal) was over French Guiana-North Atlantic Ocean, the debris that have risen above will take an elliptical path(hence decay fast) & then come down, will be minimal, have a minimal duration & that majority of the debris are decayed/ing & as per DRDO's simulation which was done on an internationally recognized software all the debris should decay after 45 days and reiterated with quotes from Pentagon & State Department's that the debris are decaying fast.
5. Pankaj Saran gave a rather diplomatic and verbose response confirming that other countries "were informed" of the ASAT test, also the reports about NASA cutting ties with ISRO after the ASAT test is Fake News and that NASA is cooperating with ISRO in its Human Space Flight Program and that despite the different statements coming from different quarters of the US government the only one that India considers legitimate is that of the US State Department.
6. And finally, a tight slap to Vipin "I'm-yet-to-lose-my-colonial-hangover" Narang, the indigenous content on the ASAT is 90% & many of its components are acquired from Indian industry.

Any body can take snapshots from the DRDO video of the DACS ( divert and altitude control system ) test , it is very interesting different from US ones.

High rez video of the DACS.

 

[Arihant Roy]

Summary of the ASAT press conference:

1. Dr. G. S. Reddy did not technically answer the several probing questions about incremental tests in higher altitudes(so chances are there will be more ASAT tests for the same).
2. As for the so called failed test in 12th Feb, on being prompted if it was also an ASAT test he clearly said it was a "Ballistic missile test against an electronic target" "which gave a lot of information, which has been used for many applications".
3. DRDO is also pursuing other counter space tech, mentioned "lasers", "high electromagnetic energy based technologies" & refused to divulge a few others.
4. As for the debris, the risk is basically for 10 days which we have crossed, also laterally the ISS at the point of the ASAT test(Bay of Bengal) was over French Guiana-North Atlantic Ocean, the debris that have risen above will take an elliptical path(hence decay fast) & then come down, will be minimal, have a minimal duration & that majority of the debris are decayed/ing & as per DRDO's simulation which was done on an internationally recognized software all the debris should decay after 45 days and reiterated with quotes from Pentagon & State Department's that the debris are decaying fast.
5. Pankaj Saran gave a rather diplomatic and verbose response confirming that other countries "were informed" of the ASAT test, also the reports about NASA cutting ties with ISRO after the ASAT test is Fake News and that NASA is cooperating with ISRO in its Human Space Flight Program and that despite the different statements coming from different quarters of the US government the only one that India considers legitimate is that of the US State Department.
6. And finally, a tight slap to Vipin "I'm-yet-to-lose-my-colonial-hangover" Narang, the indigenous content on the ASAT is 90% & many of its components are acquired from Indian industry.

High rez video of the DACS.

The Feb 12th test was a success. And I had earlier said what had really happened. This test was kind of a dry run against Microsat R. And information obtained through that test - both telemetry data from the KKV and the IR imagery from the Microsat R were used to validate and fine tune the performance of the new kill vehicle with a brand new indigenous IIR.


This new KV design along with the higher resolution seeker will now find its way into the PDV. That is an incremental upgrade of PDV.

Dr Reddy had mentioned more than one time that the mission was so designed that there was a head on collision. The closing speed was around 10.45 sec. The satellite was traveling at 7.8 km/s. An ICBM re entry vehicle has a speed of around 7 - 7.2 km/s.

 

[Arihant Roy]

Any body can take snapshots from the DRDO video of the DACS ( divert and altitude control system ) test , it is very interesting different from US ones.

The Raytheon EKV uses 4 divert thrusters like our KKV but uses 2 altitude control thrusters unlike our 8. The LEAP uses just 3 thrusters as part of its DCAS.

Why aren't we using a hood like the EKV to increase our IIR seeker's sensitivity.

The PDV KKV is in the class of the EKV. With PDV MK 2,we have a mid course ICBM killer. As I had earlier said, our desi GBI.

 

[Arihant Roy]

Some pics from the DRDO mini doc on Mission Shakti.

The second stage solid booster. Dia 1.4 metres.

Strap down IIR seeker. Has a tracking range of around 200 kms.

The first stage solid booster. That's a flex nozzle.

The KKV without the heat shield and the IIR seeker. Before integration of the KV with the solid boosters.

 

[Arihant Roy]

The IIR seeker being tested out in a hardware in loop simulation. Simulating the tracking of the target satellite.

The various thrusters of the divert attitude control system are being put through their phases. Extensive testing of dcas thrusters has been carried out.

The four main divert thrusters are being put through their phases in this test.

 

[sayareakd]

I think best part is IR Seeker. Its small but good at 200kms. We have to miniaturized entire kill vehicle and make it into 1-2 ft long. The put it this vehicle with IR seeker in 10-20 in numbers for MKV.

This American kill vehicle is about 12 inches, as per video.


We are reaching their. I am quite happy.