Mighty India Power

Hypersonic BrahMos Version-2 Cruise Missile, an improved version of Indo-Russian joint venture will be inducted in the Indian army during the next fives years. Media reports quoting a top defence official in Thiruvananthapuram, state capital of Kerala said the Hypersonic BrahMos Version-2 Cruise Missile is in the process of development at present. Chief Controller of Defence Research organization (DRDO) and Brahmos Aerospace Corporation CEO A Sivathanu Pillai was talking to mediapersons on the eve of the BrahMos Aerospace Corporation, an Indo-Russia joint venture, taking over the state run-Kerala Hightech Industries Ltd. in Kerala. This first defence production unit in the state would be a major centre for production of components and integration of the supersonic missile system, he said. “The full-fledged BrahMos complex will be ready for production and assembling in two to three years time,” he said and added “a lot of orders have come for the missile both from Army and Navy, and...

Brahmos, the world's fastest cruise missile jointly developed by India and Russia, would be assembled in Kerala, an official said here Sunday. Keltec, a state public sector unit here, would start assembling Brahmos supersonic missile in three years, said A. Sivathanu Pillai, MD and CEO of Brahmos Aerospace, here Sunday. The unit would be renamed as Brahmos Aerospace Thiruvananthapuram Ltd. "We are taking over Keltec and tomorrow (Monday) Kerala Chief Minister V.S. Achuthanandan would hand over the unit to the Defence Minister A.K. Antony," Pillai told reporters at the campus of the unit. "Considering the engineering capability, quality of the workforce at Keltec and the contribution of the staff to the country's space programme, the taking over became smoother," said Pillai, who till 1982 worked as a scientist at the ISRO space centre. In the first phase, Rs.1.25 billion would be invested at the existing campus. Of this Rs.750 million would be invested b...

The successful launch of Interceptor Missile (AAD) towards developing a ballistic missile defence system, test flight of Agni-III (A3-02), user trial of Akash Missile by Army and Air Force, Handing over of first batch of land version of BrahMos missile systems to Army and successful conduct of 4 th Military World Games were some of the significant events in the Ministry of Defence during the current year. The issue of Request for Proposal (RFP) for the purchase of 126 Medium Multi-Role Combat Aircraft for Indian Air Force, the arrival of first batch of two Hawk Advanced Jet Trainers from UK, Signing of the Agreement with Russia on the Joint Development of 5 th Generation Fighter Aircraft, First meeting of Indo-German High Defence Committee, Meeting of the Indo-French High Committee Meeting and approval of Parliament to the Armed Forces Tribunal Bill were some other major events during the year. INTERCEPTOR MISSILE The country took a significant step towards Ballistic Missile Defence...

India scaled new heights in missile capability by cranking up production lines in 2007 to almost the pace of China but was bogged down by the slow pace of acquisition of conventional weaponry. Long-range ballistic missile Agni III and interceptor missiles were successfully test fired and DRDO scientists were upbeat about developing a 6,000-km range Agni IV, marking a watershed in revival and revitalisation of the Integrated Guided Missile Programme which faced hiccups in recent years. There were five successful trial rounds of surface-to-air Akash missile, which earlier failed to meet parameters, and the Defence Ministry's nod for its induction in the IAF. The country has begun commercial production of Agni-I and II and 150-350 km Prithvi missiles while Agni IV is expected on the anvil in 2008 but scientists are mum about the talk of a 8,000-9,000 km intercontinental range missile 'Surya'. A new variety of missiles was tested in exosphere (about 40 km) and endosphere (b...

The Indian Air Force (IAF) is to induct a squadron-strength of the Akash surface-to-air missile but is unclear about the eventual numbers of the indigenously developed system it will operate. "We will soon begin the process of inducting the Akash," IAF chief Air Chief Marshal Fali Homi Major told reporters on the sidelines of a function here where he installed a time capsule relating to the just concluded platinum jubilee celebrations of the force. "The user trials have just concluded. We are awaiting the report on this, after which we shall initiate the process of inducting a squadron-strength of the missile," Major said. Squadron strength means the IAF would initially deploy 16 to 18 batteries of the missile that can engage targets at a height of 25 km. At the same time, Major refused to commit himself to the eventual numbers of the missile the IAF would deploy, indicating he was not too happy with the system that has been in development for almost two decades...

'Janes Defense Weekly' reports that India is likely to join in the air-to-air missile (AAM) development agreement between Brazil and South Africa. The issue of co-operation in research-and-development (R&D) had been discussed during recent high-level Brazilian military delegation visits to India. Brazil and South Africa had announced their AAM co-operation efforts in 2005. India also has an indegineous AAM programme - Astra - which is being developed by DRDO and is said to have looked promising in the trials conducted thus far. Keeping in light of the Indian defence establishments recent "foreign collaboration" mantra, it could be possible that DRDO might jointly develop AAMs with Brazil & South Africa. The new tri-national agreement is reported to involve India's Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) and Bharat Dynamics Ltd (BDL) working in a risk-sharing R&D programme dealing with two projects: a short-range imaging infrared (IIR) mis...

India announced a final successful test of the surface-to-air Akash missile before starting mass production under an ambitious plan to build a national missile defence shield. The missile blasted off from the Chandipur-on-Sea testing site, 200 kilometres (125 miles) northeast of Orissa state capital Bhubaneswar and hit an unmanned flying target, defence ministry spokesman Sitanshu Kar told AFP. "The Akash missile has successfully hit the bull's eye for the fifth time in a row in the past 10 days and the last trial successfully took place today," he said. The 700-kilogram (1,540-pound) Akash, meaning "sky" in Hindi, can track 100 targets simultaneously with onboard radar, move at 600 metres (yards) a second and deliver a 55-kilogram warhead across 27 kilometres (17 miles) in 50 seconds. "The missile system has been configured to be part of a futuristic network centric operation," the defence ministry said in a separate statement. Akash will join fo...

India tested its surface-to-air nuclear-capable Akash missile twice on Wednesday from a test range off the east coast, news reports said. Two multi-target missiles, each carrying a live warhead, were test-fired from an offshore range about 230 kilometres from Bhubaneswar, capital of eastern Orissa state, IANS news agency reported quoting defence sources. This was the fourth time the missile was being tested in a week. The missiles targeted a flying object dropped from a pilot-less aircraft flown from the test range a few minutes earlier. The Akash (Hindi for "sky") missile has been developed by the Defence Research and Development Organization, India's military research wing. It weighs 650 kilograms, has a range of 25 kilometres and is capable of carrying a nuclear warhead of 50 kilos. The missile uses an integral rocket propulsion system and has low reaction time. Akash is part of India's integrated missile development project which includes the intermediate ran...

NEW DELHI - An event that will substantially enhance India's space and missile capabilities has gone almost unnoticed. After struggling for decades, India has for the first time successfully tested an indigenously developed cryogenic engine that enables efficient and effective delivery of heavy communication satellites as well as nuclear payloads via long-distance ballistic missiles. The cryogenic engine uses liquid oxygen and super-cooled hydrogen that improves a rocket's thrust and power. To date, the cryogenic technology has been restricted to an elite "cryo club" of China, Russia, Europe, Japan and United States. The engines are required to launch the geo-synchronous satellites that are used in communications, and it's a lucrative business that India will now be in a position to exploit. On the military front, the cryogenic-propelled motors will be tested on India's long-range Agni atmospheric intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs) . The other opti...

The DRDO’s Advanced Air Defence missile propels India into a select group of countries with the ability to intercept ballistic missiles. The Advanced Air Defence interceptor missile taking off from Wheeler Island. THERE was applause at first, followed by five minutes of silence as missile technologists of the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) scanned the consoles in front of them. After 25 seconds of tension, a deafening applause broke out in the Mission Control Centre (MCC) on Wheeler Island, 17 kilometres from Dhamra on the Orissa coast. The atmosphere turned electric as the young men and women missile technologists went delirious with joy. Full-throated cries of “DRDO zindabad”, “Three cheers to DRDO” and “Hip, hip hooray” filled the room as vigorous handshaking and warm hugs added to the celebratory mood. “Gentlemen,” announced V.K. Saraswat, Mission Director, “many nations have done the interception in exo-atmosphere [between 40 km and 75 km above the earth]...

India is looking forward to induct the indigenously developed surface-to-air nuclear capable ‘Akash’ missile into the Indian Air Force (IAF), as only few tests are left to be carried out before the final decision is taken on it. On Saturday, the ‘Akash’ missile was successfully test fired, for the third consecutive day, from Integrated Test Range at Chandipur-on-sea, about 15 km from here. In the second week of November, field trials of Akash were also conducted in the deserts of Rajasthan that had impressed the top officials of the IAF, according to the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO). The medium range missile with a range of between 27 to 30 kms has yet to be inducted by the IAF, and there were media reports earlier claiming that the IAF’s top brass were not satisfied with the missile system, as they found instances when parts of missiles fell from the main body. The recent field trials have put to rest such kinds of speculations. In August this year, answering t...

Today is the 36th anniversary of India's victory over Pakistan in the 1971 War. But the military threat from across the border is still very real in the wake of the recent cruise missile tests by Islamabad. India is now launching an unprecedented programme to defend itself from a cruise missile attack. Clearly worried by a series of cruise missile tests by Pakistan, India’s new missile defence programme will perhaps be the world's first missile defence programme focused solely on intercepting cruise missiles. The technological breakthrough has been created with an advanced air defence missile, which is India's fastest and the most maneuverable. "Our studies have indicated that this will be able to handle a cruise missile intercept," says Dr VK Saraswat, Chief, Missile Programme Pakistan's declaration that its cruise missiles will be nuclear capable have muddied the waters. Cruise missiles are more difficult to detect than ballistic missiles, which are the ...

Two successful interceptor missile tests carried out by Indian scientists as part of the country's ballistic missile defence program in the first week of December has led to development of a new surface-to-surface missile that could be possibly named as 'Ashvin'. The endo-atmospheric interceptor missile AAD, the missile used to engage the approaching 'enemy' missile at a height of around 15 kms from the surface of the earth could be used as a surface-to-surface missile in the days ahead. The AAD, which is 7.5 mts long and has a solid rocket propeller with siliconised carbon jet vanes, has a range of over 150 kms and could achieve a maximum velocity of 1400 m/s. The USP of this AAD is its high precision INS system, faster on board computer with advanced technologies like RF seeker, agility and the capability to launch the missile in any direction in autonomous mode. The December tests have validated that the AAD could also be used as an Extended Range Surface-to-...

India is now in a position to develop missile systems at a "much faster rate" as high levels of synergy have been reached with private industry, top Missile scientist Dr VK Saraswat said here on Friday. "The standard cycle for development of a missile is in the range of 3 to 7 years. But the country is now capable of delivering it much early as the basic building blocks for producing and deployment of long-range missile are in place," Saraswat said on the sidelines of a conference on advances in sensors for aerospace applications. Saraswat's remarks assume significance in the backdrop of Defence Research and Development Organisation(DRDO) engaged in development of a wide range of missiles ranging from surface to surface Prithvi, Agni, surface to air Akash and sea faring Danush missiles. He also reiterated that the stage is set to develop next level of ballistic missile, Agni-IV, capable of hitting targets up to 6,000 kms. "We are at the designing stage ...

Since the last hard copy edition of Jane's Military Communications was published, global spending by governments on the military has continued its upward trend over a ten-year period monitored by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI). According to that organisation's Yearbook 2007, published in June, worldwide military spending in 2006 reached USD1,204 billion in current dollars, a 3.5 per cent increase on the previous year, and some 37 per cent up over the decade from 1997. Four countries highlighted by SIPRI at the forefront of the worldwide defence spending growth trend were China, India, Russia and the USA. SIPRI calculated that China's 2006 military spending reached some USD49.5 billion, overtaking Japan (USD43.7 billion) to become the biggest military spender in Asia, and the fourth biggest in the world in 2006. In this analysis India was the third biggest spender in Asia, with USD23.9 billion. Meanwhile the USA spent USD528.7 billion and Russi...

India is to launch a 5,000-km nuclear-capable intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) next year, even as it has developed a credible missile shield that is superior to the American Patriot anti-missile system, defence scientists said today. Both are homegrown systems and make India one of the very few countries in the world possessing the technology to manufacture them. “Yes, the launch of the Agni-IV (ICBM) is on the anvil. We also plan further tests of the (3,000 km) Agni-III,” Mr VK Saraswat, chief controller (R&D) of the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) told reporters here. “The launch of Agni-IV is scheduled for June (2008), with another launch planned towards the end of the year,” said Mr Saraswat, who is also the programme director of the DRDO’s air defence project. DRDO scientists had in April successfully testfired the Agni-III intermediate range ballistic missile, saying at the time they could extend its range to 3,000 km. A decision on the extended ...

On the heels of conducting trials of interceptor missiles, India today revived its surface-to-air nuclear-capable Akash missile programme by carrying out its fresh test firing near Balasore. The multi-target missile with a strike range of 25 km and capable of carrying a nuclear warhead of 50kg was test fired from a mobile launcher, defence sources said. The missile targeted a flying object using Pilotless Target Aircraft (PTA) ''Lakshya'' as support system, they said, adding the PTA was flown at 11.36 hrs and ''Akash'' missile test-fired at around 11.55 am from the ITR. For the next ten days, a series of test firings of the missile would be carried out to pave the way for its induction into the Indian Air Force. IAF had not been satisfied by performance of the missile in earlier test firings and this had led to Government clearing a deal to procure ground-to-air missiles from Israel. The trial was carried out to fine-tune the sophisticated missile, ...

The first tests of India's home-grown anti-ballistic missile system have been successful and the country expects it to be ready for military use in three years, its top missile scientist said on Wednesday. India is also designing Agni IV, a new version of its longest-range ballistic missile, which will be capable of carrying a nuclear warhead and hit targets more than 5,000 km away, V.K. Saraswat said. The announcement came days after defence scientists said they had conducted a successful second test of an interceptor missile that destroyed a supersonic missile at an altitude of 15 km on the country's east coast. India needed a missile shield as it had a policy not to use nuclear weapons unless it became a victim of a nuclear attack, Saraswat said, adding that this made India the fourth country after the U.S., Russia and Israel with such a capability. "Suppose tomorrow there is a missile taking off somewhere in our vicinity, I do not know whether it is coming with a nucle...