ICBM with 5,500-km range can be developed in three years: DRDO

[Neo]

Thanks for tip.

 

[KashifAsrar]

News from ToI, dated 15th April 2007.
Kashif

Up next: 5,000-km missile



Agni-III Success Boosts DRDO Confidence


Rajat Pandit | TNN



New Delhi: India is now on the ‘‘glide path’’ towards developing an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM), with a strike range in excess of 5,000 km, after the successful test of the 3,500-km Agni-III on Thursday.
If there is a political directive, the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), often criticised for time and cost overruns in its projects, now feels confident enough to assert it can come up with a three-stage solid-fuelled ICBM in the next two to three years.
DRDO is yet to reveal whether the proposed ICBM will be called Agni-IV or Surya-I. But yes, with ‘‘a canistered version’’ of Agni-III also on the cards, even a submarine-launched ballistic missile (SLBM), the most secure and effective system for a nuclear strike, is now well within the realm of possibility. DRDO chief M Natarajan on Friday said it may be ‘‘possible to squeeze in a third-stage’’ in a 16.7-metre tall missile like the Agni-III, by miniaturising some of its systems, to extend its range to 5,000 km with a 1.5-tonne payload.
‘‘We will certainly work towards this goal. We can draw on the advantage of the new solid rocket motors designed for the two stages of Agni-III,’’ he added. But the DRDO chief then added a caveat.
‘‘It is our job to build technical capabilities. Where the warhead should go, to what range, is a political decision or diktat,’’ he said.
Agni-III mission director Avinash Chander added, ‘‘Agni-III, the first Indian missile to cross the equator, can be used as a stepping stone for building other systems like a canistered version or a missile with a much longer range.’’
ICBMs, which borrow heavily from space launch vehicles, have till now largely remained the preserve of the five permanent members of the UN Security Council, with US and Russia leading the pack since the 1960s.
Lately, China too has made huge strides in the ICBM arena, developing newgeneration solid-fuelled roadmobile ICBMs like DF-31 (7,250-km-plus) and DF-31A (11,270-km).
On its part, the Agni-III intermediate range ballistic missile is a two-stage solidfuelled system, with a 1.5-tonne payload, which includes the warhead, an inertial navigation system and an on-board computer to guide the missile. An entirely new system, it weighs a massive 48 tonnes, unlike the much lighter 700-km Agni-I (12-tonne) and 2000-km-plus Agni-II (17-tonne) now being inducted into the armed forces.
Confirming TOI’s report on Thursday, Natarajan said, ‘‘We will carry out 2-3 more tests of Agni-III. It will take 2-3 years to declare it ready for production and handing over to armed forces.’’
Chander, in turn, said the production of Agni-III will not be a problem since most of the technologies for the missile were developed in-house, and the components were mainly produced by the private sector. ‘‘As many as 258 private industrial units and 20 labs have participated in this programme,’’ he said.
rajat.pandit@timesgroup.com

 

[joey]

kashif jan please no dont post articles from Rajat Pandit Who says China has 2 dozen nuke subs, please stop reading lifafa journalists who dont know anything other than plagariasation.

 

[KashifAsrar]

Hahaha