Gessler
SENIOR MEMBER
- Joined
- Feb 24, 2012
- Messages
- 3,579
- Reaction score
- -10
- Country
- Location
India's nuclear counterstrike response time to be in minutes
The Agni IV is 3,500 km range strategic missile
As Defence Minister A.K. Antony leaves on a 4-day official visit to China
on Thursday, the first by a Defence Minister in seven years, new facts
about the direction India's nuclear missile programme is taking could send
out an unprecedented message. In details revealed for the first time in an
exclusive interview to Headlines Today, the new chief of the Defence R&D
Organisation (DRDO) Dr Avinash Chander has revealed that one of his key
mandates as the head of the country's military research complex, is to
drastically reduce the time India will take for a potential nuclear counter-strike.
Unlike China, India has been typically timid about its strategic programmes.
The DRDO chief's revelations make for a rare, bold message about the
goings on within the country's most advanced weapons laboratories.
"In the second strike capability, the most important thing is how fast we
can react. We are working on cannisterised systems that can launch from
anywhere at anytime," said Dr Chander. "We are making much more agile,
fast-reacting, stable missiles so response can be within minutes." India has
a no first use policy for nuclear weapons, and its current response time for
a retaliatory strike is classified. The DRDO chief's task is to whittle it down
by a substantial degree to provide the Strategic Forces Command (SFC)
with a literally 'anywhere-anytime' ability.
DRDO's new chief Dr Avinash Chander.
Dr Chander, formerly director with the Advanced Systems Laboratory
(ASL) in Hyderabad and renowned as the spearhead of the Agni family
of missiles, was made chief of the DRDO last month.
India's current land-based nuclear weapon delivery systems include the
1,250-km range Agni-I, 2,000-km range Agni-II and 3,500-km range Agni-III.
The DRDO chief has expressed confidence that 2 of India's two most
ambitious nuclear missiles under test, the 4,000-km range Agni-IV and
5,000+ km range Agni-V, will both be inducted into the strategic arsenal
within two years.
"We'll induct the Agni IV and V inducted in the next two years. It's the
first time we will be inducting strategic missiles with such long ranges
together. Agni III, IV and V are going to be the thrust areas. They give
us the reach which we need, and are our highest priority now. Within two
years we have to make sure that it happens," said Dr Chander.
Asked about whether India needed an inter-continental ballistic missile
(ICBM), with ranges in excess of 10,000-km like China's DF-31 and other
in-development weapons, Dr Chander said his missile laboratories could
develop and deploy an ICBM in as little as three-five years. "As we see
today, we don't find the need for ranges more than 5,000-6,000 km. The
technology building blocks required to build a longer range missile already
exist. We are in a position to activate any such system at very short notice,"
said Dr Chander.
An Inter Continental Baliistic Missile (ICBM), the Agni V reportedly has
a range of 5,500-5,800 kms.
Asked about how India's missile programme squared off against China's,
he said, "Comparisons are odious, always difficult, and many times taken
out of context. If you see at the capability level, our missiles, radars are
comparable with the Chinese and other friends around us."
New chief of India's military research complex reveals brave new mandate : India, News - India Today
Manmohan taking a decision? Jeeez! The war would be long over by then! 
