Guided missiles of India

Tipu Sultan's troops rout the British using rockets in 1780 at the Battle of Guntur. The closely massed, British troops broke and ran when the Mysore army laid down a rocket barrage in their midst.

Mysorean rockets were the first iron-cased rockets that were successfully deployed for military use. Hyder Ali, the 18th century ruler of Mysore, and his son and successor, Tippu Sultan used them effectively against the British East India Company. Tipu Sultan's military manual (called Fathul Mujahidin) even advocated that 200 rocket men should be assigned to each Mysorean Kushoon (brigade). These rocket men were also trained to launch the rockets. In addition, wheeled rocket launchers capable of launching five to ten rockets almost simultaneously were used in war.

It was the world's first use of rockets for fighting modern wars. The British successfully reverse engineered and developed this rocket technology further (See Congreve rocket). After India was conquered, scientific research and development was constrained to further the British interests and military science in India naturally lagged.

Democratic India's missile programme dates back to the late 1950s, when Jawaharlal Nehru was the Prime Minister of India and Dr. D. S. Kothari was the Scientific Advisor to the Defence Minister. In 1958, the government of India constituted a team of Indian scientists - called the Special Weapons Development Team - to research guided missile weapons development.

Motivated to strengthen its defences after the 1962 Sino-Indian War, and the prevailing international scenario of the time, the government of independent India renewed its focus on Indian missile technology development. Initially, the scientists of the Special Weapons Development Team worked from MetCalfe House (New Delhi), but the establishment later shifted to Hyderabad after the state government granted them the former Nizam's army barracks. This was the genesis of the Defence Research and Development Laboratory (DRDL) – earlier known as the Special Weapons Development Team – under DRDO, solely formed for missile technology research and development.[7]

Its first anti-tank missile was a totally indigenous product, which was successfully test-fired. The project laid the foundation of India's missile programme and many from this group who were involved in the development of the anti-tank missile to be used in Sarath ICVs manufactured at Ordnance Factory Medak, went on to set up the Bharat Dynamics Limited (BDL), Hyderabad in the proximity of the ordnance factory, which became the production agency of missiles in India. (In the 1970s, SS-11B anti-tank missiles were manufactured under license from France at the BDL.)

As Indian science and technology was curtailed before it became independent, and missile technology had developed at a fast pace after the second world war, India decided to update itself on missile technology by reverse engineering a surface-to-air missile. This project was code-named Project Devil and it worked, from 1970 to 1979, on reverse engineering the Russian SAM-2 (which Russia supplied to India). Dr. B. D. Nag Chaudhri (then Scientific Adviser to the Defence Minister) advocated the need to build technologies needed for the future, such as liquid propellant powered engines. Thus, a parallel program called Project Valiant was also initiated to build a rocket engine powered by liquid propellants. V. K. Saraswat was part of the team that built the engine between 1971 – 1974.

Other scientists at DRDO simultaneously focused on building a guidance package – an essential part of a long-range missile that determines its path and accuracy to hit a target. A platform-based inertial navigation system (INS) was developed and tested, on board an Avro aircraft, in 1974–75. Subsequently, an INS was built for both missiles and an aircraft, and this was tested in 1979 on board a Canberra aircraft.

By the start of 1980's, DRDL had developed competencies in the fields of propulsion, navigation and manufacture of materials. Thus, India's political and scientific leadership, which included prime minister Indira Gandhi, Defence Minister R. Venkataraman, V.S. Arunachalam (Scientific Advisor to the Defence Minister), decided that all these technologies should be consolidated.

This led to the birth of the Integrated Guided Missile Development Program and Dr. Abdul Kalam, who had previously been the project director for the SLV-3 programme at ISRO, was inducted as the DRDL Director in 1983 to conceive and lead it. He decided that DRDL would pursue multiple projects in this area simultaneously. Thus, four projects were born under the IGMDP:

• Short range surface-to-surface missile (code-named Prithvi)
• Short range low-level surface-to-air missile (code-named Trishul)
• Medium range surface-to-air missile (code-named Akash) and
• Third-generation anti-tank missile (code-named Nag).

The Agni missile was initially conceived in the IGMDP as a technology demonstrator project in the form of a re-entry vehicle, and was later upgraded to a ballistic missile with different ranges.[8] As part of this program, the Interim Test Range at Balasore in Orissa was also developed for missile testing.[7]

After India test-fired the first Prithvi missile in 1988, and the Agni missile in 1989, the Missile Technology Control Regime (then an informal grouping established in 1987 by Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom and the United States) decided to restrict access to any technology that would help India in its missile development program. Some of the major technology which was denied, included:

• phase shifters for the phased array radars for Akash (denied by the USA).
• magnesium alloy used in Prithvi's wings (denied by Germany).
• servo-valves needed for the electro-hydraulic control systems of Agni and Prithvi.
• gyroscopes and accelerometers (denied by France).
• processors – Intel said it would not give India chips for the computers used in Prithvi and Agni.

To counter the MTCR, the IGMDP team formed a consortium of DRDO laboratories, industries and academic institutions to build these sub-systems, components and materials. Though this slowed down the progress of the program, India successfully developed indigenously all the restricted components denied to it by the MTCR.[7]

In 2011, the DRDO Chief V K Saraswat had stated that "indigenous content" in India's strategic missiles had gone up to such a level, with ring-laser gyros, composite rocket motors, micro-navigation systems etc., that "no technology control regime" could derail them any longer.[9]

Project Devil was one of two early liquid-fuelled missile projects developed by India, along with Project Valiant, in the 1970s. The goal of Project Devil was to produce a short-range surface-to-surface missile. Although discontinued in 1980 without achieving intended success, Project Devil, led to the later development of the Prithvi missile in the 1980s.

Project Valiant was one of two early liquid-fuelled missile projects developed by India, along with Project Devil in the 1970s. The goal of Project Valiant was to produce an ICBM. Although discontinued in 1974 without achieving full success, Project Valiant, like Project Devil, helped in the development of the Prithvi missile in the 1980s.

The Integrated Guided Missile Development Program (IGMDP) was a Ministry of Defence (India) programme for the research and development of a comprehensive range of missiles. The program was managed by the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) and Ordnance Factories Board in partnership with other Indian government research organisations.[5] The project started in early 1980s and ended in 2008 after these strategic missiles were successfully developed. The last major missile developed under the program was the Agni 3 intermediate-range ballistic missile which was successfully tested on 9 July 2007.[10]

On 8 January 2008, the DRDO formally announced the successful completion of the IGMDP.[5] It added that the strategic integrated guided missile program was completed with its design objectives achieved since most of the missiles in the program had been developed and inducted by the Indian armed forces.[11]

Dr. Abdul Kalam, who conceived and worked on this program, later also became the President of India.[12]

Akash (Sanskrit: आकाश Ākāś "Sky") is a medium-range mobile surface-to-air missile defence system developed by the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), Ordnance Factories Board and Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL) in India.[13][14] The missile system can target aircraft up to 30 km away, at altitudes up to 18,000 m.[15]

Trishul— is a short range surface to air missile. The range of the missile is 12 km and is fitted with a 15 kg warhead. The weight of the missile is 130 kg

Nag (Sanskrit: नाग, Nāg "Cobra") is a third generation "Fire-and-forget" anti-tank missile developed in India. It is one of five missile systems developed by the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) under the Integrated Guided Missile Development Program (IGMDP). Nag has been developed at a cost of ₹3 billion (US$42.1 million).[16]

Prithvi Missiles are tactical surface-to-surface short-range ballistic missiles (SRBM)

Dhanush is a system consisting of a stabilisation platform (Bow) and the Missile (Arrow). It is intended for the Indian Navy, to be fired from ships against other ships or land targets. Dhanush can fire modified versions of Prithvi-II or Prithvi-III.

The Agni missile series started as a "Re-Entry Vehicle" project (later rechristened as Agni Technology Demonstrator) in the IGMDP.[5] The missiles in this series include:

The Agni-I, Agni-II and Agni-III missiles were developed under the Integrated Guided Missile Development Program. (The Defence Research and Development Organisation formally announced the successful completion of the IGMDP after the third test of Agni-III on 7 May 2008.[5])

Agni-IV was tested on 15 November 2011 and has a range of 3,000 km (1,900 mi), and can carry a warhead of 1 tonnes. It is a two-stage missile powered by solid propellant. It is 20 metres (66 feet) tall and has a launch weight of 17 tonnes.[26][27][28] A new missile Agni-V with 5,000 km (3,100 mi) range and MIRV is being developed and was tested on 26 December 2016. Agni-V shares the similar design as Agni-III with an extra stage added to further increase the range by 1,500 km (930 mi).[29] Agni-V will be road mobile and it has been stated that all Indian missiles developed after this will be road mobile as well.

Agni-VI is an Intercontinental ballistic missile reported to be in rudimentary stages of development by India, and until May 2012 was not officially confirmed by either the Government of India or the DRDO.[25] Reportedly, it will be capable of being launched from submarines or from land and to strike a target of over 10,000 km (6,200 mi)[25] with MIRV-ed warheads.[30] Top DRDO scientists have previously asserted that India has almost all the equipment and technology needed to develop ICBMs, "but where the warhead should go or what the range should be will have to be a political call".[31]

The Shaurya missile is a short-medium range hypersonic surface-to-surface hybrid ballistic-cruise missile developed for use by the Indian Army. Capable of hypersonic speeds, it has a range of 700–1900 km and is capable of carrying a payload of 200 kg to 1-tonne conventional or nuclear warhead.[34]

Mach 3 Supersonic Cruise Missile developed in collaboration with Russia. Land Attack and Anti-ship variants in service with the Indian Army and Indian Navy. Sub-Launched and Air Launched variants under development or testing.

Mach 7 Hypersonic Cruise Missile in development collaboration with Russia.

Long Range Sub-Sonic Cruise Missile under development and testing. It was successfully test fired for second time from balasore Orissa. Able to travel at speed of 0.6-0.88 mach.

Prahaar (Sanskrit:प्रहार, Strike) is a solid-fuelled Surface-to-surface guided short-range tactical ballistic missile that would be equipped with omni-directional warheads and could be used for hitting both tactical and strategic targets.[35]

Astra is a 'Beyond Visual Range Air-to-Air Missile' (BVRAAM) being developed for the Indian Air Force.[36]

A variant of NAG Missile to be launched from Helicopter is being developed under the Project named HELINA (HELIcopter launched NAg).[37] It will be structurally different from the Nag.

Project HSTDV is a technology demonstrator aimed to demonstrate autonomous flight of a Scramjet Integrated Vehicle using ethylene.[37]

Prithvi Air Defence

The Prithvi Air Defence missile has been named as Pradyumna Ballistic Missile Interceptor. It has a maximum interception altitude of 80 km and is capable of engaging the 300 to 2,000 km class of ballistic missiles at a speed of Mach 5.[38][39] DRDO is currently working on a missile for intercepting targets of 5,000+ km range and engaging them at altitudes of up to 150 km.The tests are expected to commence from 2010–11.[40]

Main articles: Advanced Air Defence

Also known as Ashwin Ballistic Missile Interceptor. The Advanced Air Defence (AAD)/ Ashvin Advanced Defence interceptor missile operates at endo-atmosphere at altitudes of 20-40 kilometres (12–24 miles).

India is developing an Anti-Radiation Missile (ARM) that will help to destroy enemy advance warning systems. Production of the ARM is being done on a priority basis by the Defence Research and Development Laboratory (DRDL), which specialises in missile development. Such missiles can be mounted on the Sukhoi Su-30 MKI fighter planes.[41]

India is developing anti satellite weapons. Following the successful Agni-V ICBM test, this looks all the more achievable.[42]
During an interview with India Today in 2013 Dr. V. K. Saraswat said,

"Today, India has all the building blocks for an anti-satellite system in place.

We don't want to weaponise space but the building blocks should be in place. Because you may come to a time when you may need it. Today, I can say that all the building blocks (for an ASAT weapon) are in place. A little fine tuning may be required but we will do that electronically. We will not do a physical test (actual destruction of a satellite) because of the risk of space debris affecting other satellites."[43]

According to Rajeswari Rajagopalan, senior fellow at Observer Research Foundation, New Delhi, "it is important to discuss various issues concerning space security, and ASAT is one of them." Increasing awareness of space debris and continued efforts to develop and implement international measures to tackle the problem is a major concern for India as well as other countries.[44] According to some researchers, "as it stands today, in space, the probability of debris hitting a satellite is more than an adversary taking your satellite down." On 27 March 2019 India conducted its first ever ASAT missile test under a project code named Mission Shakti under which a modified Anti-ballistic missile was used to shoot down an Indian satellite in the Low Earth Orbit at a height of 300 km. The successful missile test makes India only the 4th country after United States, Russia and China to have this capability.[45]