K Missile family

'K' Missile family
Type	SLBM
Place of origin	India
Service history
In service	In production (k-15) 2017 (k-4)
Used by	Indian Navy
Production history
Manufacturer	Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) & Bharat Dynamics limited(BDL)
Produced	K-15 In production
Specifications
Mass	10 tonnes (K-15) 20 tonnes (K-4) 2 tonnes (Air-launched)
Length	10m
Width	1.3m
Maximum firing range	5,000km (unnamed Longer legged variant of K-4)
Warhead	1 tonne (K-15, K-4) 500Kg (Air-Launched Version)
Operational range	3,500km
Maximum depth	over 50m (tested)
Maximum speed	Mach 7.5 (Shaurya, which is land-based version of sagarika K-15 missile)
Launch platform	Arihant class submarine

"K" Missile or "K-X series Missile" is a series of Submarine-launched ballistic missiles (SLBM) developed by India to boost its second strike capabilities and thus the nuclear deterrence. The Information about this family of missiles has mostly been kept secret.

TYPE	RANGE	Weight	Warhead	length	Status
K-15	750km	10 tonnes	1 tonne	10m	K-15/B-05 in series production. Land-based missile awaiting clearance.
K-4	3,500-5,000km	20 tonnes	1 tonne	10m	As of January 2011, at least six more tests to be performed before induction in 2017.
Air Launched	200km	2 tonnes	500Kg	4m	Hypersonic missile project called ‘Air launched article’. It is designated to fit with Sukhoi Su-30-MKI. First prototype will be ready by 2012.
K-5 (SLBM Version of AGNI-VI)	6,000km	Unspecified	1 tonne	Unspecified	Under Development by DRDO

Missiles in the series

K-15 or Sagarika K-15 missile

The Sagarika/K-15 missile(Sanskrit: सागरिका, Sāgarikā Oceanic) is the SLBM version of the land-based Shaurya missile. With a shorter range than K-4 missiles it is to be integrated with Arihant class submarine concurrently developed for the use of Indian Navy.

Sagarika/K-15 was developed at the DRDO’s missile complex in Hyderabad. The complex consists of the Defence Research and Development Laboratory (DRDL), the Advanced Systems Laboratory (ASL) and the Research Centre, Imarat (RCI). DRDL designed and developed the missile, while the ASL provided the motors and propulsion systems. The RCI’s contribution was in avionics, including control and guidance systems and inertial navigation systems. K-15 has a range of 700 km at 1000kg and 1900km at 180kg warhead. This will also get help form Indian Regional Navigation Satellite System(IRNSS) which is expected to be ready by 2014, to ensure guaranteed national access to precision navigation. These will enable high accuracy required for precision strike.

K-4 Missile

K-4 is the next significant development under the K-X series. While There are some reports that claim DRDO is working on a submarine launched version of AGNI-V, other reports state that it is actually a SLBM Version of the Agni-III missile that is being worked on. The goal of this project is to open more second-strike options for the country, DRDO scientists told reporters during a briefing. A total of 258 private firms and 20 DRDO laboratories were involved in this venture. The Missile is said to have two variants. One with a range of 3,500km that is 10m long and the other with a range of 5,000km will be 12m long to arm future nuclear submarines of the Arihant class. K-4 will provide India the capability to target China and Pakistan simultaneously. INS Arihant, first of the Arihant Class, will be able to carry 4 (10m long) K-4s and 12 K-15s.

K-5 Missile

K-5 missile is the SLBM version of AGNI-VI (ICBM). And it will arm the future variants of Arihant class submarines of the Indian Navy. DRDO revealed in 2011 that it is also in the process of developing a variant of Agni missiles which will be a submarine launched solid fuel missile with a maximum range of 6,000 kilometers and a payload of one tonne. However, there is a strong opacity regarding the existence of such project.

See also

• Agni missile system
• Arihant class submarine

Related development

• Agni III
• Agni V
• Shaurya

Related lists

• List of nuclear weapons
• List of states with nuclear weapons