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29 janvier 2014 3 29 /01 /janvier /2014 12:35
Strategic Weapons: India Builds A Mobile Missile Aimed At China

 

 

January 29, 2014: Strategy page

 

On January 20th India successfully tested its new Agni IV IRBM (Intermediate Range Ballistic Missile). This test was in combat configuration with the missile launched from its 8x8 transporter/launcher vehicle. The Agni IV is a 17 ton, two-stage, solid fuel missile that was first tested in 2011. It has a maximum range of 4,000 kilometers and a payload of one ton. During tests it has landed with a hundred meters of its aiming point, which is satisfactory for the nuclear weapon the missile is designed to deliver. Because of the success of this test the Agni IV is expected to enter mass production later in 2014.

 

Agni IV is, as its name implies, part of family of missiles. India began work on the Agni series in the 1990s and this effort was accelerated after India and Pakistan tested nuclear weapons in 1998. All the Agni missiles use solid fuel.

 

The Agni I is a 12 ton missile that was first tested in 2002. It has a maximum range of 1,200 kilometers and a payload of one ton.

 

The Agni II is a 16 ton missile that was first tested in 1999. It has a maximum range of 2,000 kilometers and a payload of one ton.

 

The Agni III is a 48 ton missile that was first tested in 2006. It has a maximum range of 3,500 kilometers and a payload of 1.5 tons.

 

Agni IV was originally called Agni II Prime as it is basically a replacement for the Agni II.

 

The Agni V is a solid fuel missile that is still under development. It is supposed to have a maximum range of 5,000 kilometers and a payload of one ton.

 

There is said to be an Agni version in the works that would have a range of 10,000 kilometers, which would make it an ICBM (Intercontinental Ballistic Missile).

 

While the initial target for Agni missiles was Pakistan, in the last decade China has become the primary destination. It took a while for India to accept this shift. This wasn't easy. For example, in 2008 India halted development work on the Agni III because it was really only useful against China. Since India had been working hard to develop better economic and diplomatic ties with China, putting the Agni III on ice seemed a good idea at the time. It was also believed that shutting down the Agni III project would save a lot of money, as each Agni III built would have cost $20 million. Not a good investment for a weapon that will only antagonize a nation you are trying to develop better relationships with. This halt did not last long and now the Agni III is in service. It can hit targets throughout most of China. The Agni IV missiles will also be aimed at China.

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20 janvier 2014 1 20 /01 /janvier /2014 19:35
Testing of India's Agni IV Missile Advances

India tested its 4,000-kilometer-range Agni IV missile today. (Indian Defence Ministry)

 

Jan. 20, 2014 - By VIVEK RAGHUVANSHI  - Defense news

 

NEW DELHI — India’s flight test of its indigenous nuclear-capable Agni IV missile today could pave the way for user trials, according to the Ministry of Defence.

 

The surface-to-surface ballistic missile, with a range of 4,000 kilometers, can carry a warhead of up to 1 ton and is equipped with a re-entry heat shield, said a scientist at the Defence Research and Development Organization (DRDO), which is developing the missile. The two-stage, solid-propelled missile is 20 meters tall.

 

“The Agni IV missile propelled by composite solid fuel rocket motor technology was launched from its road mobile launcher indigenously developed by DRDO. The long range radars and Electro-Optical Tracking Systems located all along the coast have tracked and monitored all the parameters throughout the flight. Two ships located near the target point tracked the vehicle and witnessed the final event,” according to a Defence Ministry statement.

 

The missile is equipped with state-of-the-art avionics, a fifth-generation onboard computer and distributed architecture, and has features to correct and guide itself for inflight disturbances, according to the Defence Ministry statement.

 

The missile is equipped with a ring laser gyro-based inertial navigation system and supported by a redundant micronavigation system, according to the statement.

 

The re-entry heat shield withstood temperatures in the range of 4,000 degrees centigrade, protecting the avionics within, said the statement.

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