INDIAN MISSILE PROWESS

RAJIV NAYAN details how India today is a full-fledged missile superpower with a range of missiles in different categories. The only way ahead now lies in testing and operationalising the Agni-VI ICBM at the earliest.

- RAJIV NAYAN

On March 9, 2022, an Indian missile, somehow strayed and fell in Pakistan without mishap happened during the routine maintenance. Although the government ordered a high-level Court of Enquiry', Pakistan did not shed its routine behaviour of making mountain out of a molehill. This is another matter that it always downplays its act of terror, and never proposes any India-Pakistan joint inquiry to probe Pakistani terrorists.

Although the government did not tell openly the name of the missile, it was quite well known in the security circles that it was the BrahMos, the India-Russia joint venture supersonic cruise missile. Pakistan was making the observation and India was not denying it. This was mounted on the Sukhoi-30MKI as well.

This Mach-3 weapon is of two stages in which the second stage is propelled by the ramjet engine. Its speed is three times that of the speed of sound. Its range is 290 km with the payload capacity of 200 to 300 kg. 'Kinetic energy on impact' provides it enormous damaging capability. This is the first supersonic cruise missile, which was inducted by the Indian armed forces. Now all the three branches of the Indian armed forces have inducted this deadly missile.

The development and induction of BrahMos have become possible as a result of India's commitment to provide missiles to its armed forces. India has evolved its policy. The evolution of India's missile policy, in fact, had started just after it had gained its independence. The second world war had witnessed the use of V-1 and V-2 rockets. The use had heralded the advent of the missile age affecting the Indian security thinking as well. However, ancient India had the idea of "Astra" resembling modern-day missiles but it seems the long colonial rule erased the entire scientific memory.