Quote:India successfully test-fires underwater missile - Y. Mallikarjun, T. S. Subramanian



India's underwater K-15 (code named B05) missile piercing the waters of the Bay of Bengal after it was launched from a submerged pontoon off the Visakhapatnam coast, on Sunday. Photo: DRDO India on Sunday successfully test-fired the underwater ballistic missile, K-15 (code-named B05), off the Visakhapatnam coast, marking en end to a series of developmental trials.



In its twelfth flight trial, the 10-metre tall Submarine-Launched Ballistic Missile (SLBM) lifted off from a pontoon, rose to an altitude of 20 km and reached a distance of about 700 km as it splashed down in the waters of the Bay of Bengal near the pre-designated target point.



According to scientific advisor to the Defence Minister V.K. Saraswat, the missile was tested for its full range of 700 km and the mission met all its objectives. He said the impact accuracy of the medium range strategic missile was in single digit.



With the completion of developmental trials, the process of integrating K-15 missile with INS Arihant, the indigenously-built nuclear submarine, will begin soon. As many as 12 nuclear-tipped missiles, each weighing six tonnes will be integrated with Arihant, which will be powered by an 80 MWt (thermal) reactor that uses enriched uranium as fuel and light water as coolant and moderator.



India is only the fifth country to have such a missile -- the other four are the United States, Russia, France and China.



Meanwhile the reactor has been integrated with the submarine and it was expected to go critical in May/ June 2013. Once that was done, the harbour trials will begin.



Besides Arihant, three other nuclear-powered submarines were being constructed -- one at Visakhapatnam and two at Vadodara. India is also developing K-4 missile with a range of 3,000 km.

Quote:PTI

Jan 27, 2013, 06.20 PM IST

• NEW DELHI: Moving a step closer to completing its nuclear triad, India today successfully test-fired a ballistic missile, with a [size="4"][color="#0000FF"]strike range of around 1500 kilometres[/color][/size], from an underwater platform in Bay of Bengal.

"The medium range K-5 [url="http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/topic/ballistic-missile"]ballistic missile[/url] was test-fired successfully today from an underwater pontoon and all parameters of the test firing were met," DRDO chief VK Saraswat told PTI from the undisclosed test area.



Nuclear triad is the ability to fire nuclear-tipped missiles from land, air and sea.



Saraswat said that the development phase of the [url="http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/topic/K-5-missile"]K-5 missile[/url], which is a submarine-launched ballistic missile (SLBM), was over and it was now ready for deployment on various platforms including the indigenous nuclear submarine INS Arihant which is under development.



K-5 is part of the family of underwater missiles being developed by Defence Research and Development Organization (DRDO) for the Indian strategic forces' underwater platforms.



This missile will help India to achieve the capability of launching nuclear warheads from underwater facilities. This is the first missile in the underwater category to have been developed by India. So far, India had the capability of delivering nuclear weapons from land and aerial platforms only.



India has a no-first-use policy for nuclear weapons and the development of an SLBM boosts its retaliatory strike capability, experts said.



India is also developing two more underwater missiles including K-15 and Brahmos with strike ranges of 750 kilometres and 290 kilometres respectively.



India has for some time possessed the Agni series of ballistic missiles as well as fighter-bomber aircraft to constitute the land and air-based legs of the nuclear triad.



India had on April 19, last year made a giant stride when it test-fired nuclear-capable Agni-V intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) that has brought China within its reach with a strike range of over 5,000 km. This missile also gives India the capability to hit targets in eastern Europe, east Africa and the Australian coast.



K-5 ballistic missile, which is also known as BO5, has been developed by DRDO's Hyderabad-based Defence Research and Development Laboratory (DRDL).



Officials said more than 10 trials of the missile have been performed earlier. Today's was the last development trial of K-5. Only a select few nations including the US, France, Russia and China have this type of missile capability.



"This is a significant development and capability enhancement. The launch of the SLBM is a complex technological development. And now since the missile is ready for induction, this is a major punctuation in India's indigenous missile development programme," said security expert Commodore (retd) Uday Bhaskar.



Another security expert Commander (retd) Sunil Chauhan said the development has helped India achieve a significant milestone for country's strategic forces. This success will give countervailing capability, he said.



Defence analyst Deba R Mohanty said by achieving the nuclear triad, India will certainly be on the upward trajectory of becoming a global military power in the real sense.