Long Range – Anti Ship Missile (India)

Last updated

LRAShM
Hypeprsonic LRASHM.jpg
The LRAShM missile during the second test launch in November 2024
Type Hypersonic anti-ship missile, Medium range ballistic missile
Place of origin India
Service history
In serviceDevelopmental trials
Used by Integrated Rocket Force, Indian Navy (intended)
Production history
Designer Dr APJ Abdul Kalam Missile Complex (DRDO)
Specifications
WarheadConventional
Operational
range
>1,500 kilometres (930 mi) [1]
Maximum speed >Mach 8 [2] [3]
Launch
platform
 TEL, VLS (Warships)

The Long Range – Anti Ship Missile (LRAShM) is a member of the family of hypersonic missiles being developed by the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) for the Indian Armed Forces.

Contents

The anti-ship version, which can be fired from a shore-based transporter erector launcher (TEL), is the first variant that is undergoing developmental trials for the Indian Navy. A ship-launched naval variant is also being developed. [4] Further land-based land attack variants of the missile will also be developed for use by the Armed Forces as part of the future Integrated Rocket Force. [5] [6]

History

According to A. P. J. Abdul Kalam, who spoke at the Defence Research and Development Organization Directors Conference on February 21, 2007, one of the defence systems that will be required over the next 15 years is hypersonic weaponry. [7] Work on a hypersonic vehicle propelled by scramjet, a propulsion system that uses outside air to power combustion, started in 2008. Compared to a rocket, it is more effective. Although funding was insufficient for large-scale testing and system engineering, there has been a notable advancement in the field of computational fluid dynamics, which is essential for building hypersonic vehicles. [8]

The Indian Defence Minister Rajnath Singh formally inaugurated the ₹400 crore, Hypersonic Wind Tunnel (HWT) test facility at the Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam Missile Complex on December 19, 2020. With a nozzle exit diameter of one meter and the ability to replicate speeds between Mach 5 to 12, the HWT facility is an enclosed free jet facility powered by pressure and vacuum. The facility was put into service in October 2019. It was the Defence Research and Development Laboratory (DRDL) that first proposed the HWT facility. [9] [10] Following China's two hypersonic weapons tests in the summer of 2021, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh stressed the need for hypersonic weapon development during a lecture held at DRDO on December 14, 2021. [11] [12] India has about 12 hypersonic wind tunnels and can test speeds of up to Mach 13, according to the October 2021 Congressional Research Service Report. [13] [14]

In February 2024, IIT Kanpur built and evaluated the Hypervelocity Expansion Tunnel Test Facility, referred to as S2, in the Department of Aerospace Engineering's Hypersonic Experimental Aerodynamics Laboratory (HEAL). Ballistic missile launches, scramjet flights, and extreme hypersonic conditions of atmospheric entry can all be replicated at the S2 facility. It is anticipated that the facility will support ISRO and DRDO's Hypersonic Technology Demonstrator Vehicle, RLV Technology Demonstration Programme, and Gaganyaan. It can generate flight speeds between Mach 8 to 29. [15] [16] The 2020 test of HSTDV validated aerodynamic configuration of vehicle, ignition and sustained combustion of scramjet engine at hypersonic flow, separation mechanisms and characterised thermo-structural materials. [17] [18]

Development

DRDO has developed a number of missiles for the Indian Armed Forces. These include the K Missile family, the Prithvi series, the Agni series, Pralay, Prahaar and Shaurya. With the exception of the Pralay and Prahaar missiles, which carry conventional warheads with a restricted range of up to 150–500 km (93–311 mi) and are intended for tactical battlefield assistance, the majority of the long-range missiles have nuclear warheads. The development of a conventionally armed missile with a range of more than 1,500 km (930 mi) was therefore deemed necessary in order to counter ship-based threats in the Indian Ocean, Bay of Bengal, and Arabian Sea, as well as land-based threats from beyond the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in the provinces of Xinjiang, Tibet, and Yunnan. [19] [20]

In September 2022, reports revealed that DRDO had completed the design of a 1,500 kilometres (930 miles) range conventionally armed ballistic missile with an anti-ship variant, intended to deter land or sea-based threats, and was awaiting approval to initiate development from the Cabinet Committee on Security. [21] The under development missile was first mentioned in the 2023 Year End Review of the Ministry of Defence, and was named Long Range – Anti Ship Missile (LRAShM). [22] In 2024, it was reported that the LRAShM and its land-based variant would form a part of the proposed Integrated Rocket Force along with Pralay, BrahMos, Nirbhay and Pinaka MBRL. [20] [6] LRAShM development is likely closely related to the K-4 submarine and the Agni-P land-launched missiles. [23]

The missile is being developed at the Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam Missile Complex in Hyderabad with other DRDO laboratories and industry partners. [24] [5] The Vehicle Research and Development Establishment (VRDE) assigned the responsibility for developing the dummy article to simulate load and force on the vehicle during trials to Sterling Techno-Systems, a private sector business based in Pune. [25] The aerodynamic characterization research was conducted at the 1.2m Trisonic Wind Tunnel Facility of the National Aerospace Laboratories. [26]

Design

The missile features a delta-wing hypersonic glide vehicle which can perform terminal maneuvers and follow highly complex and adaptive flight paths. It has a demonstrated range of at least 1,500 km (930 mi). [4] The missile will have several warhead configurations for use in various roles by all the branches of the Indian Armed Forces. [27]

LRAShM is cold-launched from a hermetically sealed container. Before the first-stage solid rocket motor ignites, it fires attitude control thrusters twice. Beginning around 8 seconds after lift-off, the missile's trajectory shifts from vertical to horizontal in about 6 seconds. A booster stage and a hypersonic sustainer engine make up the two solid propellant rocket stages of the LRAShM. The mid-body of the rocket has cruciform, short span, and long chord aerodynamic surfaces, while the aft body has four small triangular fins. Fins give flight stability, whereas mid-body aerodynamic surfaces give lift, flight path control, and maneuverability. The cruciform design lowers aerodynamic drag at high speed. [28]

Hypersonic glide vehicles travel at a lower speed and altitude during the terminal phase as compared to traditional ballistic missiles, making them potentially vulnerable to sophisticated terminal phase interceptors if defensive assets are properly positioned. [24] [29] However the midcourse phase flight profile of a hypersonic glide vehicle is flatter than that of a ballistic missile, which makes it possible to maneuver beneath or around missile defense radar scanning arcs. [30] [29]

Testing

Reactions to testing

"The test is part of a larger trend towards high speed maneuvering missiles of various types," said Tom Karako, a missile defense analyst at the Center for Strategic and International Studies. According to Ankit Panda, Stanton Senior Fellow in the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace's Nuclear Policy Program, the test is a developmental step, depending on whether the technology gets approval from the government and whether it will culminate to affordable procurement plans. Indian strategists were considering the issue of guarantee future retaliation due to China's increasing mid-course missile defense capabilities which makes hypersonic payloads attractive. [34] [35]

See also

Other related Indian missile programmes

Related missile programmes of other countries

Related Research Articles

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References

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  3. ↑ Sen, Abhijeet (19 November 2024). "Speed of 3km per second, whole Pakistan-half China in range, dominance over sea, know the strength of new Indian missile". india.com. Retrieved 30 November 2024.
  4. 1 2 Kumar, Bhaswar (18 November 2024). "India's hypersonic missile test signals 'carrier killer' power like China". Business Standard. Retrieved 30 November 2024.
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  6. 1 2 Negi, Manjeet (5 November 2023). "Newly-proposed rocket forces may get 1,500 km range ballistic missiles". India Today. Retrieved 29 November 2024.
  7. ↑ "Kalam asks BrahMos team to develop 'Mark-II' version". Hindustan Times. 21 June 2007. Retrieved 30 November 2024.
  8. ↑ Srivastava, Vanita (26 November 2024). "India's test of long-range hypersonic missile — why is it a significant milestone in the country's defence capabilities". CNBCTV18. Retrieved 1 December 2024.
  9. ↑ "Inauguration of Hypersonic Wind Tunnel at DRDO Hyderabad". Press Information Bureau. Ministry of Defence, Government of India. 19 December 2020. Retrieved 1 December 2024.
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  12. ↑ Sevastopulo, Demetri (20 October 2021). "China conducted two hypersonic weapons tests this summer". Financial Times. Retrieved 1 December 2024.
  13. ↑ "Hypersonic Weapons: Background and Issues for Congress". Congressional Research Service. 19 October 2021. Retrieved 1 December 2024.
  14. ↑ "India among select few countries developing hypersonic missiles: US Congressional report". The Economic Times. 22 October 2021. ISSN   0013-0389 . Retrieved 1 December 2024.
  15. ↑ "Hypervelocity Expansion Tunnel Test Facility". www.iitk.ac.in. Retrieved 1 December 2024.
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  19. ↑ Gupta, Shishir (2 September 2022). "DRDO's conventional ballistic missile design ready, awaits signal for development". Hindustan Times. Retrieved 29 November 2024.
  20. 1 2 Pandit, Rajat (18 April 2024). "India tests long-range cruise missile for precision-strike capabilities". The Times of India. TNN. ISSN   0971-8257 . Retrieved 29 November 2024.
  21. ↑ Gupta, Shishir (2 September 2022). "DRDO's conventional ballistic missile design ready, awaits nod for development". Hindustan Times. Retrieved 18 November 2024.
  22. 1 2 "MINISTRY OF DEFENCE - YEAR END REVIEW 2023". Press Information Bureau. Ministry of Defence, Government of India. 22 December 2023. Retrieved 29 November 2024.
  23. ↑ Menon, Adithya Krishna (14 December 2023). "India Focuses on Long Range Naval Missiles Development". Naval News. Retrieved 30 November 2024.
  24. 1 2 "DRDO conducts historic flight trial of long-range hypersonic missile". The Times of India. 17 November 2024. ISSN   0971-8257 . Retrieved 29 November 2024.
  25. ↑ "LR-ASHM". Sterling Techno-System. Retrieved 17 November 2024.
  26. ↑ "Bengaluru: 1.2m trisonic wind tunnel at National Aerospace Laboratories completes 55 years of service". ANI. 6 June 2022. Retrieved 22 November 2024.
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  28. ↑ Thakur, Vijainder K. (19 November 2024). "A Shock & Awe Game Changer! India's 1500-KM-Ranged Hypersonic Missile 'Betters' Russian Zircon, China's DF-21". Eurasian Times. Retrieved 20 November 2024.
  29. 1 2 Pollack, Joshua (30 December 2019). "Hypersonic Glide Vehicles: What are They Good for?". Arms Control Wonk. Retrieved 1 December 2024.
  30. ↑ Roblin, Sébastien (19 November 2024). "India Successfully Launched a Hypersonic Missile for the First Time, Intensifying the Global Arms Race". Popular Mechanics. Retrieved 1 December 2024.
  31. ↑ Negi, Manjeet (17 November 2024). "India successfully tests first long-range hypersonic missile, joins select club". India Today. Retrieved 30 November 2024.
  32. ↑ Grevatt, Jon; Mandal, Sohini (18 November 2024). "India conducts first test of long-range hypersonic missile". Janes. Retrieved 1 December 2024.
  33. ↑ "India set to test over 1,000 km strike range anti-ship ballistic missile". ANI. 10 November 2024. Retrieved 29 November 2024.
  34. ↑ Mehta, Aaron (19 November 2024). "India's hypersonic missile test more stepping stone than game-changer". Breaking Defense. Retrieved 1 December 2024.
  35. ↑ "India test-fires its first hypersonic missile | NHK WORLD-JAPAN News". NHK WORLD. Retrieved 1 December 2024.
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