AGNI 5: A LOOK BACK AT INDIA’S MISSILE
PROGRAMME
Col Anil Bhat, VSM (Retd)
Agni-5,
a nuclear capable missile with the longest range so far, of 5,500 kms and
described by India as a “weapon of peace”, was successfully test fired from
Kalam Island off the Odisha coast, on 26
December 2016, by the Defence Research
and Development Organisation (DRDO). The
latest in India's "Agni" family of medium to intercontinental range
missiles, capable of carrying an approximately 1000 kgs warhead, with new
technology for navigation and guidance, it provides India the strategic depth
needed to contain Pakistan and China. It is also a fire-and-forget system that cannot be easily
detected as it follows a ballistic trajectory.
This was the first test launch of
Agni-5 missile after India became a member of the Missile Technology Control
Regime (MTCR), a 35-nation group to check the spread of unmanned delivery
systems for nuclear weapons. Congratulating the team of scientists behind the
successful launch, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said, "Successful test
firing of Agni V makes every Indian very proud. It will add tremendous strength
to our strategic defence."
With the Agni 1, 2, 3 and 4 missile
systems, supersonic cruise missiles like BrahMos and some other missiles already in India’s arsenal, it is relevant to
take a look back at India’s missile programme.
The first missile of the series,
Agni-I was developed under the Integrated Guided Missile Development Program
and tested in 1989. The ranges of missiles in the series are Agni1- up to1250km,
Agni 2- 2,000 kms, Agni 3- 3500 kms and Agni 4- 4,000 kms.
The launch of Agni 4 on 11 November
2011, placed India on a trail of new generation missiles. The comparatively
light in weight Agni 4 with two stages of solid propulsion and a payload with
re-entry heat shield, was the first to be used with composite rocket motor
technology, which greatly enhanced its performance. Equipped with modern and
compact avionics with redundancy to provide high level of reliability, the
indigenous ring laser gyros-based high-accuracy INS (Rins) and micro navigation
system (Mings) complementing each other in redundant mode, were successfully
flown in guidance mode also for the first time.
The use of rockets and missiles in
India dates back to the 18th century, during the period of Hyder Ali and Tipu
Sultan. They used rocket artillery brigades against infantry formations for
mass attacks. Men were trained to launch rockets from a launch angle which was
calculated from the diameter of the cylinder and the distance of the target.
The launchers could launch 5-10 rockets in salvo mode. Each of Tipu Sultan’s 27 brigades had a company of
rocket specialists. With such a huge force, he defended the Mysore kingdom
against the British until his death in Srirangapatnam in 1799. Two of the
rockets, captured by the British at Srirangapatnam, are displayed in London’s
Royal Artillery Museum.
Even Marathas used rockets in the
1761 Battle of Panipat.
Indian rocketry, which ended after Tipu
Sultan’s death, was revived in the 1970s by Dr Vikram Sarabhai and Dr A.P.J.
Abdul Kalam, among others. Defence Science Organisation, formed in 1956 for
initiating studies and development of futuristic weapon systems, was headed by
Dr B.N. Singh who formed the special weapon development team (SWDT) for study
and development of guided missiles at Metcalfe House, Delhi. He worked on the
first generation of anti-tank missiles for gaining developmental experience.
SWDT later became the Defence Research and Development Laboratory (DRDL) at old
Ahmed Manzil, Hyderabad in June 1962 under Gp Capt V. Ganesan as its director.
A project formulated at DRDL in 1964
was supported by the Army after the 1965 Indo-Pak war and was later converted
to a “staff project”, which tested an indigenously developed anti-tank missile
in 1970. It was considered as a major achievement by the DRDL, which later
moved to the Defence Research Complex at Kanchanbagh, on the periphery of
Hyderabad’s Old City. Later, some scientists in collaboration with the Army,
Navy and the Air Force officers developed the Devil missile.
All the preliminary understanding
and development of electronics sub-systems of the Devil missile, including its
airframe and aerodynamics were carried out at Ahmed Manzil laboratory. Leading
scientists like Burman, J.C. Bhattacharya, Admiral Mohan and Surya Kantha Rao
gave thrust to electronics, navigation, guidance and control as well as telemetry
and instrumentation areas. Dr Ranga Rao, Dr Rama Rao, Dr Bala Krishnan,
Krishnan and Dr Achyuthan gave priority to airframe, structures, aerodynamics
and system-related areas. This was further strengthened by the
techno-managerial leadership of Lt Gen Dr V.J. Sundaram (Retd), Lt Gen R.
Swaminathan and Sqn Ldr Shah in the area of airframe controls and integration.
Rocket Test House (RTH), near
Kanchanbagh, was used for carrying out propulsion-related design and tests. The
liquid and solid propulsion areas were continuing with vibrant leadership of Dr
Gopal Swamy and Wg Cdr Sen.
Re-entry technology and ballistic missile programmes were spearheaded by R.N. Agarwal. The state-of-the-gyro test facility was initiated by P. Banerjee within the campus. However, the whole facility of Ahmed Manzil was shifted near Kanchanbagh in 1975. Full-scale missile laboratory (DRDL) was built from then onwards.
Re-entry technology and ballistic missile programmes were spearheaded by R.N. Agarwal. The state-of-the-gyro test facility was initiated by P. Banerjee within the campus. However, the whole facility of Ahmed Manzil was shifted near Kanchanbagh in 1975. Full-scale missile laboratory (DRDL) was built from then onwards.
The Integrated Guided Missile
Development Programme (IGMDP) under India’s defence ministry, began in early
1980s for the development of a comprehensive range of missiles, including the
intermediate range Agni and short-range missiles such as the Prithvi ballistic
missile, Sagarika, the naval version of the Prithvi (all surface to surface),
Akash and Trishul missiles (surface-to-air), Astra missile (air-to-air), Nag
missile (anti-tank) and also an inter-continental-ballistic-missile named Surya,
with a range of 8,000-12,000 km. Managed by DRDO in partnership with other
Indian government laboratories and research centres, one of the most prominent
chief engineers on the project, Dr Abdul Kalam went on to become the President
of India.
The last major missile developed
under the programme was Agni-III intermediate-range ballistic missile which was
successfully tested on July 9, 2007. After the third test of Agni-3 on May 7,
2008, the DRDO announced the closure of the IGMDP since most of the missiles in
the programme have been developed and inducted into Indian armed forces. These
were Akash, Nag, Prithvi, Trishul and Agni (as re-entry technology
demonstrator).
General Knowledge Today has a longer
list of missiles developed under IGMDP: Trishul, Akash, Nag, Prithvi
Missile Series, Agni
missile series, K
Missile Series, Shaurya, BrahMos, BrahMos
II, Nirbhay, Prahaar, Astra, Barak-8, Anti-Radiation
Missile, Anti-Satellite
Missile, Indian
Ballistic Missile Defense Program,
Prithvi
Air Defence and Advanced
Air Defence.
According to a statement to the
media by Dr S. Prahlada, former director DRDL and CC, R&D (services
interaction and aeronautics) and later vice-chancellor Defence Institute of
Advanced Technology, Pune, new missile and weapon systems would be developed in
new five-year programmes and to involve both Indian private industries as well
as foreign partners to reduce costs.
Independently continuing further
development of Nag missile, the DRDO is also developing a laser-based weapon
system as part of its ballistic missile defence programme to intercept and
destroy missiles soon after they are launched towards the Indian territory.
In 1998, the government of India
signed an agreement with Russia to design, develop, manufacture and market
BrahMos (Brahmaputra-Moscow rivers), a supersonic cruise missile system that
can be launched from submarines, ships, aircraft or land. The mission was
successfully accomplished by 2006.
At speeds of Mach 2.5 to 2.8, it is the world’s fastest cruise missile, about three-and-a-half times faster than the American subsonic Harpoon cruise missile.
At speeds of Mach 2.5 to 2.8, it is the world’s fastest cruise missile, about three-and-a-half times faster than the American subsonic Harpoon cruise missile.
BrahMos has been reportedly attempting a hypersonic Mach 8
version of the missile, BrahMos II, the first ever hypersonic cruise missile.
According to DEFENCEUPDATE, 19 March 2016, the Russians successfully carried out the
first test firing of a hyper sonic version of Brahmos missile in Russia on last
Thursday. Russian sources indicated that the test was successful and the
missile flew at the speed of Mach 6. However, they didn’t mention about the
range and the mode of flight. While one version is that the Zircon will be used
to develop the Brahmos II missile, another version is that the Zircon missile itself is the Brahmos II.
DEFENCEUPDATE further informed that
Russia planned to replace its existing P 800 and Kalibr missiles from Russian
naval ships and submarines with Zicron missiles and that Brahmos is also
developing mini hypersonic versions of Brahmos II for offshore patrol vehicles
and fighter aircraft.
Undoubtedly, Brahmos has emerged as an accomplished joint
venture under the Make in India category and with countries lining up to
purchase its products.
Reportedly, three BrahMos missile
regiments raised so far have been deployed in the western sector to counter
threat from Pakistan and in the second phase of military expansion along the
China front, the government reportedly gave the go-ahead for deployment of
BrahMos cruise missiles in Arunachal Pradesh. The fourth regiment of cruise missiles, with a 290-km range, will
improve India’s military reach into the Tibet Autonomous Region and counter
China’s elaborate missile deployment along the Sino-Indian Line of Actual
Control.
The Agni-6 is reported to be in
early stages of development and the latest and most advanced version, is
expected to be capable of being launched from submarines as well as from land,
with a strike-range of 8,000-10,000 km.
Considering
the problems India faced for decades in modernizing/replenishing its conventional
weapons arsenal, thanks to politico-bureaucratic apathy and the
sanctions/obstacles faced in reaching the MTCR status, its achievements in the
field of missile and satellite technology are commendable. However, that must
not make the national security decision makers complacent. They have to ensure
that production levels are maintained, as achievement of such technology is
meaningless without sufficiency in numbers.
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