Agni 4 Nuclear IRBM

Agni 4 Nuclear IRBM

   

   Agni 4 long range ballistic missile is the fourth missile from the Agni Family, designed to strike long range targets in deep behind enemy lines. Agni 4 is the longest missile operated by the Nuclear command, the range is calculated more than 4,000 kilometer. The Range is enough to strike anywhere inside China compared to other Agni series this one is so sleek. A redesigned missile from the earlier Agni 2 missile to strike long range targets.

   Agni 4 missile is a two stage solid propellant missile. which makes the missile ready to fire in very short of time. As per Indian Doctrine, if Intel's suggests that enemy planning for a Nuclear strike, SFC readies the missile before getting the launch order from Cabinet. Once SFC gets order from the Cabinet, they fire the missile within a second, the same protocols what France using it since decades. 

    Compared to other Agni Series which are being used by the Nuclear Command, the Agni 4 incorporates most modern technologies, which include the composite rocket motor for accelerated  propulsion and speed. The sleek design provide the missile to make small maneuvers during re entry, The Agni 4 missile is one of the most reliable missiles operated under the SFC.

    The missile relies on the improved Inertial Navigation system for guidance. Which is based on the DRDO designed Rig laser Gyro's for more better accuracy, and the Micro navigation system guides the missiles to follow designated navigation path. The  GPS is used for just a backup measure, since GPS is owned by Americans and GPS jammers can jam the missile navigation which leads to an failure makes the missile strike out of the Target.  The entire travel path tracked through the space based satellites and the Long range green pine radar.

    The Entire missile was designed by the DRDO scientists and some other Indian vendors. The missile's Physical structure comes from the BDL- Bharath Dynamics Limited, and some other Indian sub contracts also involved in manufacturing some mechanical parts of the missile.

     The Agni 4 missile can carry up to one ton of warhead. Launching a Long Range Ballistic missile known as preemptive Nuclear strike,there is no possibility of adding conventional warhead in Agni 4. So It could be armed with one ton of thermonuclear warhead. The Hiroshima nuke Bomb about less than 18 Kilo tons. 

     The US and Russia has a huge quantity of long range missile and Nuclear warheads, Example of an US Minutemen can carry ten W 87 Thermonuclear warheads each warhead yield upto some 450 kilotons, So one missile has the capability of delivering some 4500 kilotons of yield or 4.5 mega tons. China also have same powerful nuclear warheads like US and Russia.

    The Agni 4 can carry single nuclear warhead. While DRDO still developing or already developed a Agni 5 variant with multiple warheads and an anti satellite variant, the status of the missile is not available for Public. However the only deployed Long Range Nuclear missile is the Agni 4. Where long range missile Agni 5 can be tested some more times before getting inducted into the nuclear command.

    As first the developer DRDO test fired the Agni 4 missile by November 2011, followed by another test by next year both tests were successful and met the user Requirement, after inducted into the Nuclear Command, SFC carried it's first user test by January 2014. SFC happy about the test and accuracy of the missile.

   And Now once again Nuclear command brings the missile from it's inventory to test fire and validate it's Reliability. And Today's tests also successful.     

India likely to enter Nuclear arms Race

India likely to enter Nuclear arms Race

    It's believed that India likely to reenter the Nuclear arms race with the neighbors, as the American Think Tanks  suggested about Pakistani nuclear deterrence become full spectrum and that's the major threat to India, India now considering to revamp old techniques to produce more Nuclear warheads, as of now India produce warheads from only one Plutonium reactor, It's believed that India may speed up the process to get more number of Nuclear warheads,

    The International community estimates India has around hundres Nuclear warheads, his neighbors Pakistan has hundred and twenty and China has tow hundred plus Nuclear warheads and put some hundred plus warheads in combat ready mode, It's clear because of No first use Policy neither India or China would not exchange Nuclear war, however the real threat is the Pakistani Nuclear weapons and the rise of Terrorism in Pakistan, which makes the Pakistani nuclear warheads unsafe, and the terrorists can easily put their hands on Pakistani Nuclear, also some rough general from Pakistani Army can wage a Nuclear war against Bharath, and even many of the Pakistani military officials threatening India with their Nuclear warheads.

   The same American Think Tanks said the Pakistani warheads are small, because of low yield, this might be problem, since small size warheads can be easily transported, like a Truck or big van enough to transport a 50 kT warhead, although Pakistani missiles are less capable compared to others means less range and less payload, that's the major reason behind why Pakistan speeding it's nuke productions, the same that they can believe many tactical nukes may stop Indian Front line Offensive Force.

    India has two major Nuclear Power near it's doorstep, both of them claiming lands and intruding Indian territory, makes a tough scenario likely escalate at any moments, So far India mainly invested in credible Nuclear deterrence by developing most sophisticated missiles and delivery systems, with the dedicated Nuclear command.

    India yet to join the Nuclear triad group, as the tests firing of Submarine based Ballistic missile yet to happen, and the Submarine based live nukes will be deployed only after 2018 or 2020, once the S 2 and S 3 SSBN's cleared for deterrence patrol,

    India has credible Nuclear deterrence by using the Agni based Ballistic missiles, India Deployed 1000 km to 4000 km Range Ballistic missiles Agni 1,2,3,4. and It's believed short range ballistic missiles like Pritivi is withdrawn from SFC and it was further developed into quasi ballistic and anti ballistic missile program, and some of the Pritivi used for Indian Army can be used for sub munitions delivery, however it's hard to see launching Pritivi in war, because earlier it was used for Nuclear deterrence, The actual numbers of Agni Missiles is not available for Public, however  four Series of Agni numbers could reach more than 100 missiles, for the Agni Missiles India need some 100 warheads. and It's clear the numbers likely increase in coming years. means the need of more Nuclear warheads is must.

     India yet to induct the Agni 5 missile, and It's still on test phase, however some say the Agni 5 maybe converted into  Anti satellite missile, a missile designed to attack enemy satellites in the space, most of the Nuclear powers already tested such ASAT Capability, India also need such capability to strike enemy satellites in case of war, so if Agni 5 converted into ASAT missile, SFC goes for Agni 6 for long range nuclear attack missions, so far all Indian missiles comes with only one warheads, however all P 5 Nations ICBM's comes with Multiple warheads, mostly each ICBM comes with ten 200 to 500 Kilo Tons of Nuclear warheads, as already reported some media's earlier DRDO already engaged in a Program to develop MIRV based warheads, and It's expected the MIRV based Ballistic missile known as Agni 6, which is likely to be test fired next two years, as first DRDO Plans for three MIRV warheads and later only India will poses 10 MIRVed Warheads in Nuclear missiles, so after inducting MIRV warheads the Need of Nuclear warheads will triple it's size, so there is no doubt that India might go for more Nuclear warheads in future.

   The Air based deterrence is pretty small, SFC using the Jaguar fleet for Nuclear bombing role, one or two Jaguar squadron filled up with some 10 to 20 nuclear warheads whose yield might be lesser than some 20 kilo tons, fighter based Nuclear delivery is very low yield since it is used counter the enemy advancements, and the SFC plans to induct 40 Sukhoi fighters for Nuclear delivery, even the Sukhoi's also armed with nuclear tipped free fall bombs, however India may add some 40 Brahmos A missiles for Nuclear delivery, and which will be kept under secret or just a dream, because violating MCTR will brings heavy sanctions, India respects the IP rights .

    The Major upcoming Indian Nuclear deterrence is the Submarine based missiles, however the INS Arihant is just an test vehicle, will perform test parameters in underwater, it's Nuclear propulsion and it's missile launching capability, However the future Arihanth class known as Aridhman series only host live nukes, where one is currently constructed in Vizag and two more in Vadodara, almost all of them put on the sea before 2020. each submarine can host 4 long range MIRVed missiles, means 12 live nukes with some 100+ nukes. so the reason of doubling the Nuclear warheads is happen with or without racing with pakistan and Chinese, and one must understand China also increasing it's nukes and deploying newer platforms.

Government plans to draft the Defense Command under one Umbrella

Government plans to draft the Defense Command under one Umbrella

    The BJP government once again plans to amalgamate the defensive and offensive command under a single unit. This would make the forces act against the threat swiftly. The NDA in their previous term, during the year 2001 and 2003, set two new, fully operational commands to counter Chinese threats in Bay of Bengal and to strike enemy countries with nuclear missiles.

    With increasing threats of cyber warfare, space conflicts and cross-border terrorism, our country needs dedicated commands to counterattack instantly. The government plans to assign three new commands for space based operation, cyber based threats and special operations command. It is believed that these new commands would need more than a year to become operational. As of now, the Indian Nuclear Command, Strategic Forces Command and the Andaman-Nicobar Commands are operational.

Strategic Forces Command

   The SFC, also called as the Strategic Nuclear command, will be assigned dedicated tasks and forces to attack the enemy country. Orders issued by the central government cabinet committee headed by the Prime minister of India, makes the decisions and the SFC executes the assigned orders.

    The Indian nuclear warheads can be deployed on several kind of platforms via air, land or sea based missiles to attack the enemy positions. India needs a good delivery platforms to make these missions a success. The Indian SFC command consists of Jaguar Fighter Jets, Agni 1,2,3 Missiles and Arihant SSBN having K 4 and K 15 Ballistic missiles. It is believed that the SFC have also inducted the Su 30 MKI for nuclear warhead delivery. These nuclear warheads are stationed in Indian bases controlled by respective commands. If the cabinet orders a strike, it would take time in deciding which base will launch the attack. Those making these decisions will have different strategies, making it difficult to choose the appropriate base. To resolve this issue, the government set up a Nuclear Command under a three star officer, either Lt. Gen, Vice Admiral or Air Marshal, to lead the SFC. if the government cabinet approves a nuclear strike, the head of the Nuclear Command will choose the most feasible platform for the strike. resolve the issue, Govt set ups a Nuclear command under a Three star officer, either Lt.Gen, Vice Admiral or Air marshal leads the SFC, if the government approves a Nuclear strike, he will choose which platform is feasible for the strike. 

   As of now, the SFC command is expanding its wings by proposing the induction of two dedicated fighter squadron in addition to the advanced Agni 5 and 6 missiles and the Arihant SSBN, which would be inducted after the conclusion of trials.

Andaman Nicobar command

   This command consists of all three services, soldiers from Indian Army, fighter jets from Indian Air Force and ships from Indian Navy. This command is created to counter the Chinese advancement in Bay of Bengal and establish peace in the Andaman region. As Andaman is located far from Indian land mass, and makes a very good place for strategic operations, it is the primary target if Chinese and Indians go to war. The Andaman Command is fully based on the offensive strike, with troops, ships and fighter aircraft for combined amphibious assault operations.

  Currently, the Andaman command consists of 15 warships. This comprises of Escort vessels like patrol ships, offensive platforms like fast attack crafts for beach landing, a large number of landing platform ships. They get cover from the Indian Air Forces Su 30 MKI and the MiG 29 UPG. The Marine contingent also gets cover from Naval Air Arm like ASW planes like Do 228 and P 8I. The forces include an army brigade. One Indian Army Brigade consists of 3000 infantry soldiers including officers who are commanded by a Brigadier General of the Indian Army.

Cyber Command

   The new proposed command which will be commissioned in coming years, which is used to hack enemy websites and undertake strategic espionage. Each service has a dedicated cyber command which protects national assets from computer based attacks from unknown enemies. The new cyber command can ensure the safety of our defense and financial institutions and retaliate to international cyber threats. The Chinese and Americans already have such commands, where Chinese have been known to install phishing programs into American servers, revealing strategic and economic secrets, and using that information to develop their own technologies. The Americans are masters at cyber warfare; the NSA is a good example of that.

Special Operational Command

   The major setback of the Indian Defense is the lack of unified command to untie all the special forces under one command. Even in the last cross border raid in inside Myanmar, there were issues in the command section as to which force will be assigned to take out the militants. The Navy's Marco's, RAW's SFF, Air forces' Guard commando's and the Army's Para commando's, after a delay, asked the Para commando's to take the action. The same issue also delayed the 26/11 operation in Mumbai.

 To eradicate the delay in special operations, The government plans to make a special operation command similar to American SOCOM, which controls all the special forces from all services.These will include the NSG and CRPF special forces Cobra. Under the new uniform command, the Special Operational Command from Delhi orders the designated forces nearby to act against the threat, once the SOCOM gets a go order from the cabinet. The cabinet orders are needed for only cross border raids, missions inside India don't need cabinet approval.

Space Based Command

   Currently, Indian air space is under control of the Indian Air Force. If any unidentified aircraft enters Indian air space, dedicated airbases nearby will launch interceptor aircraft to identify and then escort or in some cases, eliminate the threat. Beyond the earth's atmosphere, the Indian air space is monitored by the Indian Space Research Organization, where they only assist the defense forces with the real time satellite images and information. They do not provide any information without having the necessary permissions from higher authorities. For example, the IAF cannot acquire SAR imagery without having proper approval from the cabinet .

   However, the new Space Command can act quickly as the ISRO and Defense Officers chair the command. They provide information and satellite images without any delays and need of the approvals. The need of eliminating enemy early warning satellites is also a growing doctrine in future warfare as China already showcased such technologies. It's believed India will acquire such technology in coming days.

Editor Darren Julian Pinto

Agni III IRBM

Agni III IRBM

Agni 3 Test Launch

      Agni Missile program, named after the fire god in Hindu tradition has for long been associated with the deterrence of our nation. The Agni program under which our country has developed a whole array of intercontinental ballistic missiles has turned to produce one most delivery systems for the Indian armed forces.

       The Agni program was conceived by around 1985 with the DRDO in charge of producing a delivery system that could help India realize its long awaited Missile program. DRDO has produced the most advanced and efficient missile systems under the program. The Agni team has time and again proved it might with repeated tests by the control authority, SFC (Strategic Forces). 

       The Interim Test Range in Chandipur is filled the most efficient scientists of the Organization. The launch pad and the control centre will stand witness to the work of this less known community tomorrow when one of their product takes to sky all their work and dedication. Agni 3 will be propelled to the skies from the ITR at around noon tomorrow as part of the user trial by the SFC.

         Agni III is a successor to the Agni II, the Agni III has an range of over 3500 KM.  The missile can carry 250 kiloton nuclear warheads which can cause ten times the destruction caused in Hiroshima. Agni III is one of the most reliable long range ballistic missile co-developed by DRDO and BDL. Agni III was designed specially strike enemy positions with a high degree of accuracy, which was way higher than the accuracy available in the other Agni variants. Agni III enjoys a CEP around 40 m which is one of the Best accurate missiles in IRBM kind.

       Agni III is SFC's primary nuclear strike missile, the missile can out manoeuvre even the most advanced anti ballistic missile systems. The user trial is being conducted by the SFC and DRDO will only provide any logical support to the campaign. SFC is cleared for launching missiles with nuclear warheads with the due permission of CCS. 

     Agni 3 comes with 2 ton either conventional or thermobaric munitions which is used for conventional warfare purpose and can be deployed anywhere in India using the TEL (Transport Erector Launcher). The missile system is believed to have reached up to 5000 km and is a all weather capable missile system.

The Solid Propellant powering the Agni 3 missile reduces the fuel maintenance and scheduled fuel change. The Agni III is a two stage missile. When the missile is launched from the range, it can attain an altitude of 350 kilometres within 13 minutes during which most of the parabolic path and the distance towards the designated target is completed. 

   The missile then re-enters the atmosphere after a exothermic flight and now travels at a speed of 7km per second the missile temperature shoots up to 3000 deg Celsius at this point most of the alloy materials can be melted, even Aluminum melts at this point, to avoid this the missile is developed by special material.

       Even the re-entry modules were developed by composite materials which can withstand more than 6000 degree Celsius, 

     The missile is guided by Inertial Navigation system that uses the GPS coordinates, after completion of IRNSS Navigation the system will follow IRNSS based co ordinates, currently India relies on the US system and if these systems are not provided to India by US the missile will be left without a reliable guidance system. The missile will then have to rely only on Radio frequency based terminal guidance which is not a reliable method and cannot guide the missile to the designated location.

       A submarine launch able variant of the Agni III was also developed by the DRDO. The first Test of Agni 3 which was carried out during 2006 had failed prove the reliability of the system after the missile plunged to the sea soon after liftoff. But DRDO has learns a lot from this test and has carried out three successful tests, which gives the Operational readiness of the Missile and is ready to be transferred to SFC.





         It was reported in 2011 that Agni 3 was inducted into SFC and was deployed in launch mode. SFC has conducted two user trials and both these tests have turned out to huge success. 

Agni 3 in TEL

50kg Therombaric Explosion

 Editor Karthik Kakoor