Indian Missile News And Discussion

[Arun_S]

[url="http://www.business-standard.com/india/news/shaurya-surfaces-as-indias-underwater-nuclear-missile/23/20/385952/"]Shaurya surfaces as India's underwater nuclear missile[/url]

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.

[ramana]

Manorama's The Week article on

Reign of Fire about AIV and AV follow-on.



Arun, He gives ~thrust of F/S motor for AV. And gives some comments on the RLG and its MINGS package.

[Arun_S]

The A1-A2 booster is 1 m diameter and 10 meter long it thrust is 46 tonne (Sea Level) { 51 tonne Vacuum}. This number sets the limit on maximum range even if one stages the rocket in 2 or 3 stages.



The A-IV booster that is 1.2 to 1.3m diameter and 10 m long, the reported thrust of 350 tonne seems a gross outlier and thus most likely an error. Even the Agni-3 with 2 meter diameter and 8.5 m long does not have this kind of thrust.



Also in comparison the massive PSLV core stage is 2.8 m diameter and 20 m long and that generates thrust of about 500 tonne.



IMHO the A-IV booster thrust will realistically be in the range of 75 - 100 tonne. If one can see the video launch frame by frame, and count the time it took to clear its own height(20 m) it will directly tell the acceleration at lift off, and multiply that by weight of the missile (officially reported as 17 tonne, but I think that is impossible, given its diameter and length IMHO the launch weight was >20 tonne) that will tell booster's initial thrust.

[Arun_S]

Took some time to do photo analysis of A-IV



Assuming the missile was 20 m tall.

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

I assume error of 0 to -10% on above



Based on above it is clear that booster weigh around 17 tonne, and all up weight of about 23 tonne (including 800 kg Payload).

[Bharat_2009]

http://www.thehindu.com/sci-tech/technol...707196.ece



MmW Seeker successfully flight-tested in Nag



Hope Indian Army wouldn't have an excuse now to ignore Nag !! It's about time for Nag - the most advanced of its kind in this neighborhood !!

[Bharat_2009]

http://expressbuzz.com/thesundaystandard...42151.html





N-tipped Dhanush set for fresh trial



Looks like Dhanush is here to stay !! Dhanush for anti-ship role !! Always thought Dhanush would take that role eventually !!

[Raj Malhotra]

I was looking at the specifications of Midgetman missile of USA. Now using this 'old' missile as a benchmark, the range of Indian missiles may be way more than predicated.



My guess:-



Agni-1 1500km



Agni-2 3500km



Agni-3 8000km





New Series:-



Shaurya 3000km



Agni-2 Prime = Agni-4 6000km



Agni-V= MIRV 9000km

[Arun_S]

RAJ: Range is a function of payload, what is the payload guesstimates for the suggested range?

[Raj Malhotra]

[quote name='Arun_S' date='19 December 2011 - 01:15 AM' timestamp='1324237043' post='114058']

RAJ: Range is a function of payload, what is the payload guesstimates for the suggested range?

[/quote]



250kg or so

[Arun_S]

[quote name='Raj Malhotra' date='21 December 2011 - 02:40 PM' timestamp='1324458163' post='114068']

250kg or so

[/quote]

From[url="http://www.indiandefencereview.com/defence-industry/Way-to-a-Credible-Deterrent.html"] Way to a Credible Deterrent- IDR[/url] this is good graph to see the relative capability. Agni-4's range performance will obviously be between the graph for A-II and Agni-3SL.

[Ravi]

Hey Arun, i got this para from a DRDO article-



"Defence Science Journal, Vol. 60, No. 2, March 2010, pp. 124-136,2010, DESIDOC"



6th para in the article states



"ADRDE also designed and developed a float system

for K-15 missile recovery system. The tests were carried

out successfully by ADRDE and DRDL."



Can you please tell me how does the float system work in recovering a missile...??? Why and how do they recover a missile when it has already destroyed itself by hitting the target.

[ramana]

Its for recovery after flight tests over sea waters. Dont want the parts to be scavanged.

[Ravi]

[quote name='ramana' date='12 January 2012 - 01:39 AM' timestamp='1326312077' post='114187']

Its for recovery after flight tests over sea waters. Dont want the parts to be scavanged.

[/quote]



Do you mean that the missile will be intact to recover even after hitting the target at Mach 7.



According to your theory

1. How can they pack a floating system (air bag's) into a missile..???

2. Even if they pack floating system into missile, how can they pack separate floating system for different parts which may be small and which would have been disintegrate after hitting the target ...???



What i guess is may be something like silo which will be immersed in water before the launch and it will be recovered by floating system once the missile is launched. Silo is immersed to replicate sub-surface launched. May be Arunji might clear this doubt.

[Arun_S]

All I will say on this question is that you are changing from a winning horse to a wrong horse.



I have nothing to add. Mulling on Ramana's reply will lead you to missing link and correct understanding.

[Arun_S]

[url="http://www.samachar.com/Indias-latest-ncapable-missile-to-be-showcased-on-RDay-mbxsNEdchif.html?source=recommended_news"]India's latest n-capable missile to be showcased on R'Day[/url]

[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]

[Raj Malhotra]

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.

Would 150km with 250kg warhead be reasonable range of Prahaar or is 150km is understated as usual style?

[Arun_S]

Understated as usual.

Actual for ballistic trajectory will be about 230Km for basic model.



But given it has MINS and is basically a derivative of a aerodynamic missile for endosphric flight, this beast is capable of doing what Prithvi has done all long, Viz, glide on the way down and keep level flight at 40 Km altitude, and it will easily do 400 Km. Just Mk-II software change.



A.k.a the original APJ Kalam project to convert a SAM into a theater ballistic missile; in this a case an uber form of SAM translated into a TBM.

[Raj Malhotra]

[quote name='Arun_S' date='25 January 2012 - 07:26 AM' timestamp='1327456125' post='114300']

Understated as usual.

Actual for ballistic trajectory will be about 230Km for basic model.



But given it has MINS and is basically a derivative of a aerodynamic missile for endosphric flight, this beast is capable of doing what Prithvi has done all long, Viz, glide on the way down and keep level flight at 40 Km altitude, and it will easily do 400 Km. Just Mk-II software change.



A.k.a the original APJ Kalam project to convert a SAM into a theater ballistic missile; in this a case an uber form of SAM translated into a TBM.

[/quote]



If services ever get to order this missle then it might make something like Kargil or Siachin intrusion very difficult for Pakistan. It can be long range super bullet to take out any post? Using RLG INS, I assume that accuracy should be around 100m or so (excluding GPS etc),



IIRC SAMs of Soviet era had secondary SS role. Even US standard missile - SAM has secondary anti ship role.

[Arun_S]

[quote name='Raj Malhotra' date='28 January 2012 - 10:13 AM' timestamp='1327725352' post='114322']

If services ever get to order this missle then it might make something like Kargil or Siachin intrusion very difficult for Pakistan. It can be long range super bullet to take out any post? Using RLG INS, I assume that accuracy should be around 100m or so (excluding GPS etc),



IIRC SAMs of Soviet era had secondary SS role. Even US standard missile - SAM has secondary anti ship role.

[/quote]



MINS accuracy at such short range has got be much more accurate than 100 Mtr.

But IR/Optical scene correlation is very relevant for this velocity regime, thus I expect the final accuracy to be about 1 meter for fixed target or even artillery spotter aimed target (UAV spotter based) will be same.



Think of China border application also.

[Raj Malhotra]

[quote name='Arun_S' date='30 January 2012 - 08:11 AM' timestamp='1327890797' post='114336']

MINS accuracy at such short range has got be much more accurate than 100 Mtr.

But IR/Optical scene correlation is very relevant for this velocity regime, thus I expect the final accuracy to be about 1 meter for fixed target or even artillery spotter aimed target (UAV spotter based) will be same.



Think of China border application also.

[/quote]



Are you saying Prahaar has a seeker? I thought that it is only INS guided!