Missiles Of India - A comprehensive overview of India's deadly missile arsenal

India since gaining its sovereignty has amplified its stock of strategic and tactical missiles that caters to several defence strategies me by Government of India. With an amalgamation of science, technology and human resource, India has set its foot in developing most lethal and vanced missile systems in world including anti-ship, air-defence, ballistic, cruise, air to air, anti-missile systems and even capability to hit targets in space. India also marks itself among seven countries possessing Intercontinental Ballistic Missile (ICBM), which can travel a minimum distance of 5,500 km. India is also one of four nations owning an Anti-Ballistic Missile (ABM) system.

India has a lethal stockpile of potent weapons, with Indian Air Force (IAF) version of BrahMos, Intercontinental ballistic missile Agni-5 and or pivotal missiles. Along with se, India incorporates missile series of Prithvi, Dhanush and Nirbhay in its stockpile of ammunition. 

Here is a list of some among India's missiles:

Surface-to-Air Missiles 

A surface-to-air missile (SAM), or ground-to-air missile (GTAM) is a weapon designed to be launched from Earth to destroy enemy aircraft or or missiles and can be considered as an anti-aircraft defence system in modern armed forces.

• Trishul

Trishul missiles are short-range surface to air missiles with an operational range of 9km. 

• Akash Missile

Presently, re are three variants at different stages of development, Akash-1S, Akash Mark-II, Akash-NG. Akash -1S can travel up to a distance of 18 to 30 km, while Akash Mk-II and Akash-NG can travel 35 to 40 km and more than 50 km, respectively.

• Barak 8  

long-range Indo-Israeli surface to Air Barak 8 Missile can travel up to a distance of 100 km to hit target with Mach 2 speed, i.e, twice speed of sound or 2470 km/hr.

Surface-to-Surface Missiles

Surface-to-surface missiles are launched from ground to strike land or sea targets. y may be fired from hand-held or vehicles, from a ship or ground installations. y are often enabled with a rocket engine or sometimes fired by an explosive charge since launching platform is typically stationary or moving.

• Agni-I  

A medium-range ballistic missile that can travel a distance of 700-1250 km to hit its target. missile can reach Mach 7.5 speed. It is a single-stage missile that was developed after Kargil War by DRDO.

• Agni-II

It is second strategic ballistic missile of Agni family envisaged to be mainstay of Indian missile-based strategic nuclear deterrence. An Intermediate-range ballistic missile, Agni-II can reach a distance of 2,000–3,000 km while travelling at Mach 12 speed.

• Agni-III

It is an Intermediate-range ballistic missile that can travel a range of 3,000 km with a speed of 5–6 km/s, it was deployed to service in 2011 and can reach targets deep inside neighbouring countries including China.

• Agni-IV

Designed by DRDO and inducted in service in 2013, Agni-IV is an Intermediate-range ballistic missile that can reach a distance of around 4,000 km at Mach 7 speed.  

• Agni-V

Agni-V missile is an Indian nuclear-capable intercontinental ballistic missile developed by DRDO and is India's only Intercontinental ballistic missile with a 5,000 km range that can reach an exceptional Mach 24 speed.

• Prithvi II

A Short-Range Ballistic Missile, Prithvi II can travel a distance of 350 km. missile is developed by DRDO

• Shaurya

Shaurya missile is a canister launched hypersonic surface-to-surface tactical missile developed by DRDO for use by Indian Armed Forces. missile can reach a distance of 750 to 1,900 km to destroy its target. 

Air-to-air Missiles

Air to Air Missiles (AAM) is a missile fired from an aircraft with a motive to damage anor aircraft or any airborne object. AAM is eir solid fuelled or sometimes liquid-fuelled. It evolved from unguided air to air rockets used during World War-I.

• MICA

MICA is an anti-air multi-target, all-wear, fire-and-forget short and medium-range missile system encompassing a range of 500 m to 80 km reaching Mach 4 during its deployment.

• Astra Missile  

Developed indigenously by DRDO, Astra is an all-wear beyond-visual-range active rar homing air-to-air missile encompassing a range of 80-110 km reaching Mach 4.5 + speed.

• Novator K-100

A Russian-me medium-Range air-to-air missile can be deployed to hit targets in range of 300–400 km with a Mach 3.3 speed.

Cruise Missiles

A cruise missile is guided to its target by an onboard computer. It is a guided missile used against terrestrial targets, that remain in atmosphere and flies major portion of its flight path at an approximately constant speed. Cruise missiles are designed to deliver a target warhe over long distances with high precision.

• BrahMos Supersonic Cruise Missile

BrahMos missiles are designed developed and produced by BrahMos Aerospace, a joint venture company set up by DRDO and Mashinostroyenia of Russia. BrahMos supersonic cruise missile can cover a range of 290 km reaching Mach 2.8 to 3 Mach speed.

• BrahMos II

Meanwhile, BrahMos- II Hypersonic cruise missile can be deployed to hit target within a range of 450 – 600 km in a Mach 7 velocity. missile is currently under joint development by DRDO and Russia's NPO Mashinostroyenia.

• Nirbhay

Nirbhay subsonic cruise missile can reach a maximum range of 1,000 to 1500 km to destroy its target with a Mach 0.8 speed. missile can be launched from multiple platforms and is capable of carrying conventional and nuclear warhes.

Submarine-launched ballistic missile

A submarine-launched ballistic missile (SLBM) is a ballistic missile capable of being launched from submarines. Each missile carries a nuclear warhe and allows a single launched missile to strike several targets. Modern submarine-launched ballistic missiles are closely related to intercontinental ballistic missiles which can be deployed to reach a range of over 5,500 km.

• Sagarika (K-15)

Sagarika (K-15) is an Indian submarine-launched ballistic missile that can reach a range of 750 km that was designed for retaliatory nuclear strikes.

• K-4 Ballistic Missile

K-4 Ballistic Missile is a nuclear-capable Intermediate-Range submarine-launched ballistic missile developed by DRDO to arm Arihant-class submarines. missile has a maximum range of 3,500 km.

• K-5 Missile

K-5 is a submarine-launched ballistic missile under development by DRDO. missile has a planned range of 5,000 km and will be equipped with Arihant-class submarines and is considered to be fastest missile in its class.

Anti-Tank Missile

An anti-tank guided missile (ATGM) is a guided missile primarily designed to hit and destroy heavily armoured military vehicles, which can be transported by a single soldier, to larger tripod-mounted weapons, which require a team to transport and fire, to vehicle and aircraft mounted missile systems.

• Amogha-1

Amogha-1 is an ATGM with a range of up to 2.8km. It is under development by Bharat Dynamics at Hyderab. It is maiden missile designed and tested by Bharat Dynamics and will be produced in two versions. land version has alrey been tested.

• Nag Missile

Nag missile, also known as 'Prospina' for land-attack version is an Indian third-generation, all-wear, fire and forget, an anti-tank guided missile with an operational range of 500m to 20km and ten-year maintenance-free shelf life. 

Anti-ballistic missiles

An Anti-ballistic missile is a surface to air missile designed and manufactured to counter ballistic missiles (Missile defence). Ballistic missiles are used to deliver nuclear, chemical, biological or conventional warhes in a ballistic attack.

• Prithvi Air Defence (P)

Prithvi Air Defence (P) is a two-stage liquid and solid-fueled ballistic missile defence high altitude interceptor based on Prithvi missile. two-stage interceptor is 10 meters tall and is said to reach a maximum altitude of 80km.

• Prithvi Defense Vehicle (PDV)

Prithvi Defense Vehicle (PDV) is an exo-atmospheric interceptor missile designed and manufactured to shoot down short-medium, and intermediate-range ballistic missiles in ir terminal phase by intercepting with a hit-to-kill approach.

Anti-Satellite Missile

• A-SAT Missile

In March 2019, India joined an exclusive club of countries that has capability to hit a target in space as it tested anti-satellite missile via 'Mission Shakti'. This test, which came just months after India completed its fully operational nuclear tri (being able to launch nuclear warhes from air, land and sea), me India just fourth country, after US, Russia and China to be able to do so.

(Image: PTI)