Quote:Ajai Shukla / New Delhi February 17, 2010, 0:04 IST

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.

1. Booster Dia is 1.35m and Length 11 m
2. Second stage Dia is 1.1m, Length is 5.4 m (very similar to Agni-II second stage) + 1 m inter-stage.
3. RV Length is 2.8 m

Quote: [size="3"][color="333333"] New Delhi, Jan 23 : Agni-IV, India's latest nuclear-capable strategic missile, will be showcased to the public for the first time as part of the static display atop a tableau that its developer, the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), will be fielding during this year's Republic Day parade Thursday.[/color][/size]



[size="3"][color="333333"] The contingent, led by Lt. Col. V.S. Thapa, will also have its new tactical battlefield support high-speed missile Prahar and the medium altitude long endurance unmanned aerial vehicle Rustom-I, DRDO spokesperson Ravi Kumar Gupta said here Monday.



Agni-IV, the most potent and technologically advanced in India's arsenal, adds a new dimension to country's capabilities in terms of strategic deterrence for peace and security.



Capable of being sent aloft from a self-contained road mobile launcher from anywhere in the country, the two-stage surface-to-surface missile with solid-propulsion can reach targets 3,500 km away.



A quantum leap in indigenous technology, Agni-IV incorporates a composite rocket motor casing, a highly accurate guidance and navigation system, modern and compact avionics, digital control system and many other contemporary and advanced technologies making it comparable to the best in the world.



The Prahaar missile is "an another marvel of technology" recently developed by DRDO, Gupta said, noting that it is a tactical battlefield support missile based on solid fuel propulsion and is equipped with high precision inertial navigation system, giving it capability to hit targets around 150 km away with pin-point accuracy.



The missile is mounted on a road mobile launcher, carries a significant payload and can be equipped with a variety of warheads.



Each high mobility launcher carries six missiles; multiple launchers can be interlinked to deliver a near simultaneous multi-axis attack on a target with devastating effect.



Rustom-I, a medium altitude long endurance UAV, takes-off and lands like a conventional aircraft.



An outdoor pilot standing close to the runway exercises the take-off and landing of the UAV, and hands over the control to an indoor pilot, operating from the ground control station, for carrying out rest of the mission. Payload operator controls the various payloads from ground control station to capture essential video pictures and data.



Rustom-I can fly for 12 to 15 hours, at speeds up to 250 km per hour. It is intended to be used for surveillance, reconnaissance, target acquisition, fire correction and battlefield damage assessment.



The UAV is likely to be inducted in the three wings of the armed forces and internal security organisations such as the state police forces, Border Security Force, Central Reserve Police Force and Coast Guard in the near future.



The DRDO tableau will showcase the work of Snow and Avalanche Studies Establishment, with headquarters in Chandigarh, that facilitates Indian troops' in inhospitable snow-bound, avalanche-prone high altitude terrain in guarding the frontiers from enemy intrusions. (IANS)[/color][/size]

Quote:The Prahaar missile is "an another marvel of technology" recently developed by DRDO, Gupta said, noting that it is a tactical battlefield support missile based on solid fuel propulsion and is equipped with high precision inertial navigation system, giving it capability to hit targets around 150 km away with pin-point accuracy.