India is all set to formally induct the Nirbhay subsonic cruise missile into the Indian Army and Navy. This new weapons platform will prove to be a gamechanger and there are reports that India has moved a limited number of the missiles to the Line of Actual Control LAC) to give the Chinese PLA a movement of pause.
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh who heads the Defence Acquisition Council (DAC) has cleared the formal induction of the Nirbhay subsonic missile.
After the seventh trial scheduled next month, the Nirbhay missiles with a range of 1,000 km powered by solid rocket booster that has a single shot kill ratio of more than 90 per cent will be inducted.
However, the last test seems just a formality as it has already been deployed to defend the LAC against China.
Developed by the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), Hindustan Times has reported that India also test-fired an extended-range BrahMos surface-to-surface supersonic cruise missile. It has a range of 400 km capable of hitting any target with great accuracy and precision.
The Nirbhay missile can travel at a speed of 0.7 Mach and has both terrain-hugging and sea-skimming capability which makes it very difficult for enemy radar to locate and use their counter-measures.
With the success of Nirbhay cruise missile and the Wednesday’s testing of the 400-km range BrahMos missiles, India is on its way to having its next class of supersonic long-range tactical cruise missile.
The new missile will have a better circular error of probability than the BrahMos and will carry a heavier conventional warhead to destroy airbases and ships.
“The new class of cruise missile will have a solid rocket booster along with supersonic speed using SFDR technology. The range of missiles can be decided on the basis of mission objectives,” said an Indian missile expert.