India’s state organisation Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) has achieved a milestone by testing out the first long-range hypersonic missile in the country. This test represents a significant augmentation of the Indian military force and makes the country fall into the countries having hypersonic devices. Here's everything you need to know about this ground-breaking weapon:
What is a Hypersonic Missile?
A hypersonic missile is a missile that can manoeuvre at higher than 5Mach that is five times the speed of sound. These are fast moving and can manoeuvre themselves out of the reach of the oppositions’ defence mechanisms. Hypersonic missiles can be classified into two main types: Hypersonic Glide Vehicles (HGV) and Hypersonic Cruise Missiles (HCM).
- Hypersonic Glide Vehicles (HGV): These are propelled from a rocket and fly towards the target and move in a rather unpredictable path.
- Hypersonic Cruise Missiles (HCM): These missiles make use of air breathing engines famously known as scramjets in a bid to give them much needed speed throughout their flight.
Key features of the missile developed by DRDO:
India's long-range hypersonic missile, developed by DRDO's Dr APJ Abdul Kalam Missile Complex in Hyderabad, boasts several advanced features:
- Speed and Range: the missile can move at a speed greater than five times the speed of sound and has a striking distance of over 1500 kilometres. It enables it to down opponents at ranges it has never been done before with great speed.
- Manoeuvrability: The missile can actually perform short and sharp movements while still in the flight and this will make it almost near to impossible for any defence system to track and intercept the missile.
- Payload Capacity: This is intended to deliver several types of payload, conventional and nuclear, making it more suitable for numerous missions.
- Accuracy: The missile met other parameters of its flight test and accurately impacted the intended target.
Significance of the Test
The successful test of hypersonic missile today by India is a historic moment which states that India is developing technologically. The minister for Defence Rajnath Singh said this was a great game changer in terms of Indian defence system. In the light of joining the league of hypersonic technology the country has further helped strengthen its deterrence against potential adversaries while improving its strategic standing within the region as well.
Technological Advancements
The development of the hypersonic missile involved several technological breakthroughs:
- Scramjet Technology: The missile uses scramjet engines, which provide airflow compression for sustained hypersonic flight.
- Thermal Protection: advanced material and insulated coatings were also created for a spacecraft’s thermal shielding to encounter searing heat of a hypersonic flight.
- Guidance Systems: Advanced means of navigation and guidance as well as control enable the missile achieve its targeting goals.
Future Implications
The demonstration of the operational efficiency and reliability of the hypersonic missile will expand the potential of India’s defence plans. The speed and ability to turn the missile in flight are highly important assets against modern defence systems that give the attacker greater advantage in both, offense and defence. Furthermore, hypersonic technology from indigenous research and development also makes it low on reliance of foreign technology and paves way for India to build on its indigenously produced defence frameworks.
Understanding Missiles
Missiles are complex systems of delivering mass destruction on intended targets with pinpoint accuracy at different ranges. Today, they are indispensable in any warfare due to speed, accuracy, and distant impact they make on their targets.
What Are Missiles?
Missile is a guided airborne weapon that carries both a warhead and a propulsion system, in order to bring down targets. Unlike traditional bombs, missiles are capable of being directed to precise locations, making them more effective in neutralizing specific threats.
Types of Missiles
Ballistic Missiles:
- Intercontinental Ballistic Missiles (ICBMs): Long-range missiles with ranges exceeding 5,500 kilometres, capable of carrying nuclear warheads. They are launched into space and descend towards their target.
- Medium-range Ballistic Missiles (MRBMs): Having a range between 1000 and 5500 Km, these are in the mid-range set of hybrids.
- Short-range Ballistic Missiles (SRBMs): Operational within 1,000 km and employed during combat operations on the field.
Cruise Missiles:
- Land-attack Cruise Missiles (LACMs): Originally developed to target objectives on land. These fly low and follow the terrain, and hence are almost invisible and difficult to detect.
- Anti-ship Cruise Missiles (ASCMs): Intended wholly and mainly for use against other vessels and ships.
Surface-to-Air Missiles (SAMs): These are ground to air missiles used to eliminate aerial objectives such as airplanes and Unmanned Aerial vehicles.
Air-to-Air Missiles (AAMs): Fired from one airplane to another in a combat mission, for the purpose of shooting down enemy planes.
Anti-Tank Guided Missiles (ATGMs): A combat vessels designed specifically to sink armored carriers and tanks. The majority of the systems are installed on vehicles or are man-portable.
Functions of Missiles
- Strategic Deterrence: Long-range ballistic missiles serve as a deterrent against potential adversaries by providing the capability to deliver nuclear warheads across continents.
- Tactical Support: Tactical weapon systems like SRBMs and ATGMs categorically support the operation during set operations by providing tactical fire for effect on enemy territory and occupying targets.
- Anti-Access/Area Denial (A2/AD): The use of anti-ship and surface-to-air missiles lays down no entry zones for the enemy that thus provides shield to critical places and things.
- Counter-air Operations: AAMs and SAMs are vital in maintaining air superiority by targeting and eliminating enemy aircraft and UAVs.
Working of Missiles
Missiles operate through a combination of propulsion, guidance, and control systems:
- Propulsion: Almost all missiles employ solid or liquid fuel mixtures for creating the necessary lift off. Ballistic missiles mostly use rocket motors and on the other end, cruise’s mostly contain jet motors.
- Guidance: missiles are launched and contain a guidance system that directs the missile upon the target. Common guidance methods include:
- Inertial Guidance: It also incorporates gyroscopes and accelerometers mounted within the space vehicle to determine the position of the missile.
- GPS Guidance: Relies on signals received from other satellites hence detecting the exact location of the device.
- Infrared and Laser Guidance: Guides onto the targets by means of infrared identifying marks or laser beams.
- Control: Control surfaces, such as fins or canards, adjust the missile's flight path to correct its trajectory and ensure it reaches the intended target.
Benefits of Missiles
- Precision: Cruise and ballistic missiles give strikes high accuracy which minimizes hitting the wrong targets.
- Speed and Reach: Major kinds include the hypersonic or ballistic ones, and as the name suggests, these usually take very little time to reach their targets and could be used effectively in often occasions.
- Flexibility: It is also important to note that there are different types of missiles to be used in the fight against the different threat which includes ground forces, naval vessels and aerial targets.
- Deterrence: It is enough to have sophisticated missiles for potential enemies to refrain from aggressive actions.
Missiles Developed by India
India has grown to improve the capability of its defensive weapon and has developed several advanced missiles that are important in its defence system. These missiles are designed to address the strategic as well as tactical requirements of a country so as to protect the nation from potential threats. Here's an overview of some of the key missiles developed by India:
Ballistic Missiles
Agni Series:
- Agni-I: A surface-to-surface missile with desired range capacity of up to 700 KM, designed to carry conventional as well as nuclear payloads.
- Agni-II: it is an IRBM with range of 2,000 kilometres, developed for quick deployment.
- Agni-III: A strategic missile with the capability of delivering a nuclear warhead up to 3,500 km.
- Agni-IV: A long-range ballistic missile (LRBM) with the range of 4000km which increases the capability of Indian strategic force.
- Agni-V: a 5,000-kilometer-range ICBM missile that can carry several warheads.
Prithvi Series:
- Prithvi-I: a SRBM with target regions up to 150 kilometres away from the launch site.
- Prithvi-II: Enhanced version of Prithvi-I with an enhanced range of 250 km, better accuracy and increase in payload.
- Prithvi-III: A MRBM that has a capability of hitting targets within 350 kilometres range and is designed for rapid response.
Cruise Missiles
- BrahMos: A supersonic cruise missile under production with Russia, with speeds over three times that of the speed of sound and a range of 180-450Km.
- Nirbhay: A subsonic cruise missile with supersonic speed dash capability, designed for accuracy with a programmed range of 1000 km.
Surface to Air Missiles (SAMs)
- Aakash: A tactical S-A-M available from 10 to 25 km and intended against airborne targets including airplanes, UAVs and CRMs.
- Barak-8: An advanced anti-aircraft missile with a new solid-propellant engine and a range of up to 70 km.
Anti-Tank Guided Missiles also known as ATGMs
- Nag: A third generation anti-tank guided missile with 4 km range to penetrate modern armour and bunkers.
- Helina: An air-to-ground launched from helicopter with a ATGM capable of firing on targets up to 7 km away for multiple mission profiles.
The ABMs
- Prithvi Defence Vehicle (PDV): An exo-atmospheric missile designed to destroy other missiles at high altitude.
- Advanced Air Defence (AAD): An ABM which is an endo-atmospheric means of stopping an incoming missile within the Earth’s atmosphere.
Hypersonic Missiles
- Hypersonic Technology Demonstrator Vehicle (HSTDV): A technology demonstrator for hypersonic flight, capable of achieving speeds greater than Mach 5.
Positives of India’s Missile Development
- Strategic Deterrence: Ballistic missiles and ICBMs constitute a stronger form of strategic deterrence that the development of long-range ballistic missiles improves.
- Tactical Flexibility: The development of short-range and cruise missiles gives operational and tactical routing in different battles.
- Defence Capabilities: Surface-to-air and anti-ballistic missiles bolster India's air defence capabilities, protecting critical assets from aerial threats.
- Technological Advancement: Indigenous generation of high-level missile technologies proves strategic export independence in military manufacturing.
- Regional Stability: A strong requirement for missiles is stability within the region because it discourages aggression and promotes power equilibrium.