DOON INDIAN DEFENCE ACADEMY
CLASS ASSIGNMENTS
DEFENCE TECHNOLOGY
1. DRDO
DRDO was established in 1958.
It works under ―Department of Defence Research and Development‖ under Ministry of Defence.
It works towards enhancing self-reliance in Defence Systems and undertakes design & development leading to production of
world class weapon systems as per the requirements of the three defence services.
DRDO has a network of over 50 laboratories working in various areas of defence technology.
It also provides ample spinoff benefits to the society at large thereby contributing to the nation building
2. TYPES OF MISSILES
Ballistic missiles:
Ballistic missile, a rocket-propelled self-guided strategic-weapons system that follows a ballistic trajectory to deliver a payload from its
launch site to a predetermined target. Ballistic missiles can carry conventional high explosives as well as chemical, biological, or nuclear
munitions.
Under the guidance of Dr. Kalam, India developed several ballistic missiles as part of The Integrated Guided Missile
Development Programme (IGMDP).
Strategic missiles are the missiles that can attack bigger targets like a city.
Ballistic missile – types
Surface to Surface Short Range Ballistic Missiles (SRBMs)
Missile Name Range Payload
Prithvi-I 150 km 1,000 kg
Prithvi-II 250 km 500 kg
Prithvi-III 350 km 1000 kg
Agni-I 1000 km 1000kg
Intermediate Range Ballistic Missiles (IRBMs)
Missile Name Range Payload
Agni-II 2000 km 1,000 kg
Agni-III 3000 km 500 Kg
Agni-IV 4000 km 1000 Kg
Inter Continental Ballistic missiles (ICBM)
Agni-V 5000 km 1500 kg
Submarine launchable Ballistic missiles (SLBM)
K 15 Sagarika 750 km 500 kg
K-4 3000 km 1000 kg
Agni V
India’s first intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM).
It is a three-stage surface to surface missile that uses solid propellant.
It can carry 1.5 ton of nuclear warheads with a target range over 5,000 km.
It can attain the speed of 24 Mach.
Unlike other missiles of the series, Agni-5 is the most advanced in terms of navigation and guidance, warhead and engine, can
hit the targets with high precision.
Agni 5 was test fired on 27th October 2021 from APJ Abdul Kalam island.
AGNI - P
India reportedly has been working to develop multiple independently targetable re-entry vehicles (MIRVs).
It is the 6th missile in the Agni series.
On 28th June 2021,DRDO successfully test fired Agni-P from Abdul Kalam island
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DOON INDIAN DEFENCE ACADEMY
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Agni P is a new generation advanced variant of Agni class missiles.
It is canisterised missile with range capability between 1000 -2000 Km.
Canisterisation of missiles reduces the time required to launch the missile while improving its storage and mobility. • It plugs the
range gap between Agni I & II
(Note: Agni VI with a range of 11,000 – 12000 km is under development).
This is a three-stage solid fuel missile with Maneuverable reentry vehicle (MaRV) capability that delivered the warheads in two
separate locations.
MaRV is a type of ballistic missile whose warhead is capable of autonomously tracking ground targets.
Cruise missiles
These missiles don’t follow the laws of gravity and their path is controlled throughout their journey period.
These missiles are self-navigating and fly at extremely low altitudes to avoid being caught by radars.
Level of accuracy in these missiles is extremely high.
These are Tactical missiles that are used in the battle field.
Type Name Range Payload Capacity
Subsonic Cruise Missiles Nirbhay 750-1000 km 500 kg
Supersonic Cruise Missiles Brahmos(2.8) 290 km Extended to 450 km 300 kg
Hypersonic Cruise Missiles BrahMos-II (Mach 7) 750 km 400 – 600 km 1000 k
(Under development)
Nirbhay
It is an indigenously developed subsonic missile, with a speed of 0.7 Mach.
It has a range of ~ 800 km (Long range)
The missile is powered by a solid rocket booster and a turbofan (air breathing) engine.
It can also be launched from multiple platforms including aircraft, landbased vehicles/launchers, ships and submarines.
Carry conventional warheads and is also said to be nuclear capable.
It is capable of deep penetration to strike high-value targets with precision.
With sea-skimming and terrain-hugging capability, the missile can stay under enemy radar to avoid detection.
Air breathing engines: Uses atmospheric Oxygen in the combustion of fuel so that oxidizer need not be added along with the fuel. This
reduces the total propellant required. In such engines the atmospheric air is compressed by a rotary compressor like Turbofan.
Ramjet: A variant of air breathing Jet engine that does not include a rotary compressor (Turbofan), rather it uses the engine’s forward
movement to compress the incoming air (Works at subsonic speeds)
Scramjet: It is an innovation on Ramjet in which combustion chamber is specially designed to operate under hypersonic airflow.
Dual mode Ramjet: A type of jet engine where a Ramjet transforms into a Scramjet over Mach 4-8 range. Thus, it can efficiently work
in subsonic and supersonic speeds.
BrahMos.
It is a medium-range supersonic cruise missile – built by India with the help of Russia (Named after Brahmaputra river + Moskva
(Russian) river)
It is multiplatform launchable - can be launched from land or submarines/warships or fighter jets.
It uses 2-stages, first solid stage and second being the liquid ramjet.
It boasts to be fastest supersonic missile in the world (Mach 2.8).
A hypersonic version BrahMos – II with speed of Mach 7-8 is also under development
The 2.5-tonne missile has a strike range of nearly 300 kilometres.
In September 2020, India test-fired an extended-range BrahMos surfaceto-surface supersonic cruise missile from the Integrated
Test Range in Odisha.
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DOON INDIAN DEFENCE ACADEMY
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The cruise missile can hit targets 400 kilometres away - its range increased from the existing 290 kilometres.
India has also successfully test-fired ―a vertical deep dive version‖ of BrahMos in 2019, which allows the missile to be fired at a
―near-vertical‖ trajectory of 90 degree climbing 14 kilometers before making a steep dive toward its target. (Useful in mountain
regions).
BrahMos with increased indigenous content and improved performance, was successfully test-fired from Integrated Test Range,
Chandipur, Odisha on January 20, 2022.
Shaurya
Tested in October 2020 from Abdul Kalam island.
New indigenously-developed hybrid missile, that attains 7.5 Mach speed.
Like a ballistic missile, it is powered by solid fuel, but can guide itself up to the target like a cruise missile.
Medium-Range (750 km)
Land variant of K-15 Sagarika
Surface to Surface missile
Two-stage missile that uses solid propellants
Can carry conventional or Nuclear warheads (up to 1000 kg)
Hypersonic Technology Demonstrator Vehicle (HSTDV) (Carrier for cruise missile)
DRDO successfully flight tested the indigenously developed HSTDV in September 2020
It uses air-breathing scramjet technology.
The vehicle travelled its desired flight path at a velocity of six times the speed of sound i.e. Mach 6.
India became the fourth country to have demonstrated this technology after the USA, Russia and China.
It can be developed as a carrier vehicle for long range cruise missiles
Due to its high speed, most RADARs will be unable to detect it. It will also be able to penetrate most missile defence systems.
Other missiles
1. SURFACE TO AIR MISSILES
NAME RANGE PAYLOAD
Trishul 9 km 5 kg
Akash 30 km 50KG
Maitri 15 km 10KG
Barak-8 70 km 60 KG
AIR TO AIR MISSILES
Astra Mk-1 110 km 15 kg
Astra Mk-1 110 km Under development
ANTI-TANK GUIDED MISSILE
NAG 4- 7 km 8 KG
HELINA 7-10KM 8 KG
HeliNa: Helicopter launched Nag Missile
HeliNA (Army version), (Dhruvastra – Indian Air Force version of HeliNa)
Akash – NG (New Generation)
It is a new variant of the Akash missile - surface-to-air Missile, tested in July 2021.
It can strike targets with an extended range up to 70 km and fly at a speed of up to Mach 2.5.
Developed by Defence Research & Development Laboratory (DRDL), Hyderabad.
Primarily designed for the IAF with an aim of intercepting high maneuvering aerial threats that have low Radar Cross Section
(RCS), which is the electromagnetic signature of the object.
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DOON INDIAN DEFENCE ACADEMY
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Stand-off Anti-tank missile (SANT)
Indigenously made helicopter launched missile
It has been tested in December 2021 by DRDO and Indian Air Force at Pokhran test range.
Designed and developed by Research Centre Imarat (RCI) in coordination with other DRDO Laboratories.
It is a fourth-generation upgraded variant of HELINA missile.
The missile is equipped with a state-of-the-art Milli Meter Wave (MMW) Active Radar seeker which provides high precision
strike capability in all weather conditions.
Can neutralize targets in a range up to 10 km.
IGMDP (Integrated Guided Missile Development Program)
It was approved by the Government of India in 1983 and completed in March 2012.
The 5 missiles developed under this program are: Prithvi: Short range surface to surface ballistic missile.
Agni: Ballistic missiles with different ranges, Agni (1,2,3,4,5)
Trishul: Short-range, low-level surface to air missile.
Nag: 3rd generation anti-tank missile.
Akash: Medium range surface to air missile
Nuclear triad, a three-sided military-force structure consisting of landlaunched nuclear missiles, nuclear-missile-armed submarines, and
strategic aircraft (e.g. Rafale, Brahmos) with nuclear bombs and missiles.
Submarines
Submarines are self-propelled vessels that are designed and built to perform underwater operations.
The Indian Navy currently operates Sixteen diesel-electric powered submarines (including the Scorpene) and two nuclear
powered submarines — INS Arihant (SSBN, a ballistic missile submarine) and INS Chakra (SSN, a nuclear-powered one) leased
from Russia.
India's submarine fleet is based at two locations: Visakhapatnam on the east coast and Mumbai on the west coast.
Of the 16 conventional submarines India currently possesses, only half are operational at any given point of time.
INS – Indian Naval Ship
SS – Submarine ship
SSN – Submarine Ship Nuclear
Project 75 that was launched in 2005 to build Six Scorpene (diesel-electric) submarines of Kalvari class.
1. INS Kalvari (commissioned in 2017),
2. INS Khanderi (commissioned in Sep 2019),
3. INS Karanj (commissioned in March 2021),
4. INS Vela (commissioned in Nov 2021),
5. INS Vagir (Launched in 2020), and
6. INS Vagsheer ( launched in April 2022)
The Scorpène-class submarines are a class of diesel-electric attack submarines jointly developed by the French Naval Group and the
Spanish company Navantia.
It features diesel propulsion and an additional air-independent propulsion (AIP). It is now marketed as the Scorpène 2000.
They are the most sophisticated submarines, capable of undertaking multifarious missions including anti-surface ship warfare,
anti-submarine warfare, intelligence gathering, mine laying, and area surveillance.
The Scorpene class is the Indian Navy’s first modern conventional powered submarine series (diesel-electric), weighing 1,500
tonnes ad can go up to depths of 300m.
The Navy is looking to install Air Independent Propulsion (AIP) modules on all the Scorpene submarines to enhance endurance.
Diesel-Electric submarines run on diesel and electricity. They have a large network of batteries which are charged by the diesel generator.
They snorkel, which means, travelling just below the surface of the water (This makes them vulnerable to detection). Once they charge
their batteries, they dive into the ocean and run silently on battery power with the diesel generators shut down.
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