The secret undersea weapon
India on Tuesday successfully test-fired the submarine-launched ballistic missile from under the sea off the Vizag coastline. Codenamed K-15, the test-fire extended India's critical third leg of the nuclear triad to sea.
It was perhaps the most significant milestone in India's nuclear weaponisation since the Pokhran test in May 1998. This will give India its deadliest nuclear strike weapon and its most assured capability to retaliate against a nuclear attack by an enemy.
The message is that the US is not only comfortable, but also supportive of India's rise as a bigger power. Moreover, it sees a considerable military element in its growing ties with India.
The K-15 missile will give India the capability to launch a stealthy nuclear attack from 50 metres under the sea to a land target 700 km away. India's clearly gatecrashed into the club of five big super powers.
It was perhaps the most significant milestone in India's nuclear weaponisation since the Pokhran test in May 1998. This will give India its deadliest nuclear strike weapon and its most assured capability to retaliate against a nuclear attack by an enemy.
The message is that the US is not only comfortable, but also supportive of India's rise as a bigger power. Moreover, it sees a considerable military element in its growing ties with India.
The K-15 missile will give India the capability to launch a stealthy nuclear attack from 50 metres under the sea to a land target 700 km away. India's clearly gatecrashed into the club of five big super powers.
The Defence Research and Development Organisation is to conduct the final test launch of the K-15, India's first submarine-launched ballistic missile (SLBM) from off the coast of Visakhapatnam on Tuesday. The missile can carry a one-tonne nuclear weapon to a distance of 700 km.On Tuesday, the calm sea around Vizag will be breached by the roar of a missile rising from under the sea, geyser-like. Climbing to a height of five kilometers, the missile will ignite a solid booster which will arc it to a distance of over 700 km over the Bay of Bengal.With this full system test, DRDO officials say the missile will be handed over to the navy for integration on its nuclear submarine, the Advanced Technology Vessel (ATV). "The K-15's development is complete, we are ready to integrate it with the mother ship," DRDO Chief Controller Dr Prahlada told the media last week, in the first official and detailed confirmation of the enigmatic missile.The missile completes India's triad of land, air and sea launched nuclear weapons. It also gets India an entry into the elite club of-US, UK, France, Russia and China-capable of launching a ballistic missile from a submarine.
Underwater launch pontoonThe missile will be launched from a specially constructed submersible pontoon which sinks to a depth of 50 metres on the seabed-the intended launch depth from the submarine-and fires the missile from underwater. This period was chosen for the launch as the seas around Vizag are calm like a mirror.The slender two-stage K-15 has a length of around 11 metres-larger than the 8.5 metre long Prithvi short-range ballistic missile but smaller than the 15-metre-long Agni-1 ballistic missile.The missile has two stages fitted into its half-a-metre wide body. An underwater booster propels it clear of the submarine and takes the missile to a height of 5 km above the sea surface. On reaching this altitude, a second stage solid motor kicks in to propel the missile to a distance of over 700 km.Work on the missile started around a decade ago under a highly classified programme earlier called Sagarika (Oceanic). Development ran parallel to the Indian navy's 25 year programme to build its own nuclear-propelled submarine, the ATV. In the last few years, the missile remained behind a veil of obsessive secrecy with the government refusing to confirm or deny its existence. Variously dubbed 'the naval missile' and the 'navalised Prithvi', it was successfully tested to incremental ranges six times. The last successful test to its full range was in April last year.With work on the ATV nearly complete-a nuclear reactor was integrated into its hull in December-and the vessel due for sea trials next year, the next key milestone will be integrating the missile into the submarine. The ATV carries 12 K-15 missiles in four launch canisters. A fleet of three nuclear submarines are planned for induction by 2012.According to DRDO officials, the key challenge here was to master the difficult science of launching a missile from under the sea. This technology will come in handy when the DRDO eventually fields the submarine-launched variants of the 3500-km Agni-III missile in the next five years.
Underwater launch pontoonThe missile will be launched from a specially constructed submersible pontoon which sinks to a depth of 50 metres on the seabed-the intended launch depth from the submarine-and fires the missile from underwater. This period was chosen for the launch as the seas around Vizag are calm like a mirror.The slender two-stage K-15 has a length of around 11 metres-larger than the 8.5 metre long Prithvi short-range ballistic missile but smaller than the 15-metre-long Agni-1 ballistic missile.The missile has two stages fitted into its half-a-metre wide body. An underwater booster propels it clear of the submarine and takes the missile to a height of 5 km above the sea surface. On reaching this altitude, a second stage solid motor kicks in to propel the missile to a distance of over 700 km.Work on the missile started around a decade ago under a highly classified programme earlier called Sagarika (Oceanic). Development ran parallel to the Indian navy's 25 year programme to build its own nuclear-propelled submarine, the ATV. In the last few years, the missile remained behind a veil of obsessive secrecy with the government refusing to confirm or deny its existence. Variously dubbed 'the naval missile' and the 'navalised Prithvi', it was successfully tested to incremental ranges six times. The last successful test to its full range was in April last year.With work on the ATV nearly complete-a nuclear reactor was integrated into its hull in December-and the vessel due for sea trials next year, the next key milestone will be integrating the missile into the submarine. The ATV carries 12 K-15 missiles in four launch canisters. A fleet of three nuclear submarines are planned for induction by 2012.According to DRDO officials, the key challenge here was to master the difficult science of launching a missile from under the sea. This technology will come in handy when the DRDO eventually fields the submarine-launched variants of the 3500-km Agni-III missile in the next five years.
(india today Sandeep Unnithan;India’s No.1 newsweekly)
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