K Missile family
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| 'K' Missile family | |
|---|---|
| Type | SLBM |
| Place of origin |  India |
| Service history | |
| In service | In production (k-15)[1] 2017 (k-4)[2] |
| 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)[2] |
| 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[3] of sagarika K-15 missile)[1] |
Launch platform | Arihant class submarines |
"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[2] | Weight | Warhead | length | Status[2] |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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. |
Missiles in the series
K-15 or Sagarika K-15 missile
The Sagarika/K-15 missile(Sanskrit: सागरिका, Sāgarikā Oceanic) is allegedly the SLBM version of the land-based Shaurya missile.[1][3] 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.[4] 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.[5] 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.[6] 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[2]. K-4 will provide India the capability to target China and Pakistan simultaneously. INS Arihant will be able to carry 4 (10m long) K-4s and 12 K-15s.
See also
Related development
Related lists
References
- ^ a b c "India To Begin Production of Nuke Missile". Defencenews. 2011-09-27.
- ^ a b c d e "The Secret 'K' missile family". Indiatoday. 2010-11-20.
- ^ a b T.S. Subramanian (2008). "Shourya test-fired successfully".
{{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires|journal=(help); Unknown parameter|month=ignored (help) - ^ "Sagarika missile test-fired successfully". The Hindu. 2008/02/27.
{{cite news}}: Check date values in:|date=(help) - ^ "Shourya/Sagarika Missile" (PDF).
- ^ "DRDO working on 5,500 Km Agni". (FINN) Frontier India News Network.