Heavenly weapons of a new era: How India Controlled Rakette Technology

Last Sunday, August 10, in Bengaluru, Chief Marshal AP Singh, the Indian Air Force (IAF), revealed new details about the air strikes of India on Pakistan during their tense impasse in May of this year.

For the first time he openly confirmed that the IAF shot five Pakistani hunters and also destroyed a large security plane in the air – probably used to collect information or follow enemy aircraft – from about 300 km away.

The IAF leader called it “the largest confirmed ever confirmed by a surface-air rocket.” He also emphasized how the S-400 Air Defense System of India can greatly scare enemies, and how Brahmos Superersonic Cruise Missiles turned out to be extremely accurate and played a game-changing role in the fight.

The Agni-V-Bunker-Busting Upgrade

A few weeks before Singh’s statement, reports revealed that Drdo-India’s primary weapons development agency-a powerful upgrade to the longest ballistic rocket in the country, the Agni-V.
The improved rocket will wear a non-nuclear core head of 7,500 kg that is able to break through underground bunkers with the help of its heavy mass, hardened housing and advanced guidance systems.

Global Bunker-Buster Arsenal

• United States: used the GBU-43/B “Mother of all bombs” in Afghanistan. More recently, Iranian nuclear facilities, including Fordow, with 14 GBU-57 bombs (each 30,000 pounds) designed to destroy deep bunkers.
• Russia: owns the “father of all bombs” (foab), a thermobary bomb of 7,100 kg (uses oxygen from air to create a huge explosion at high temperature) with force close to a small nuclear weapon.
• China: Has a smaller, lighter bomb than the American version, used on the H-6K bomber-vertaker-a modernized long-distance aircraft that are able to wear nuclear or conventional bombs, rockets and precision weapons.

Air Marshal Anil Chopra (RETD) told RT.com that India accelerates the development of advanced bunker-buster weapons to combat the heavily protected command sites of Pakistan and China.

India’s guided journey of rocket development

Post -war realization

After the 1962 war with China and the wars of 1965 and 1971 with Pakistan, India realized that it had to produce its own important military material material equipment to protect national security. Until then, most rockets were imported.

Birth of the indigenous rocket program

In the early 1980s, India launched under Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam a native rocket program. This led to the Agni and Prithvi ballist rockets, giving India strong defense and deterrent options.

By 2008, the core program ended after achieving self-reliance, but worked on specific weapon systems-including Agni, Prithvi, Brahmos and Akash-All all the central in the defense of India.

Prithvi Missile Series

Type: Surface-to surface ballistic missiles (short to average) designed to hit ground goals

• Prithvi-i: 150 km range, 1,000 kg nuclear core head.
• Prithvi-II: range of 350 km, 750 kg nuclear/conventional core head.
• Prithvi-III: 750 km range (250 kg core head) or 650 km range (500 kg core head).
• Dhanush: Naval Variant of Prithvi-III, 500–1,000 kg Payload, 350 km range.
• Sagarika: submarine launched ballistic rocket.
• Type & Launch: Ballistic missiles at a short distance (SRBMS)-Gelanced from Road-Mobile Launchers, Ships (Dhanush) and submarines (Sagarika).

Akash Missile Family

• Type: Surface-to-Air Missiles (SAM’s) designed to shoot enemy aircraft, drones and incoming rockets.
• Akash: 720 kg, Mach 2.5 (3,062 km/h), 30 km range, used by Army & Air Force.
• Akash Prime: Indian active radio frequency seeker for 360 ° targeting, improved accuracy.
• AKASH-NG: Faster response time, a longer series of 70-80 km, resist several simultaneous attacks.
• Active radio frequency seeker: a small radar in the nose of the rocket that sends signals, receives their echo and leads itself to the target – such as ‘Missil’s own eyes’.
• Type & Launch: Surface-to-Air Missile (SAM) Last of truck or hunted vehicle mounted launchers with radar support.

Agni series

• Agni-i: 1200 km range, 1,000 kg core head.
• Agni-IV: 4,000 km of reach, 900 km height, fixed rake tractor.
• Agni-V: more than 7,000 km of reach, 3,000-4,000 kg loading load, Mach 24 (29,400 km/h), MIRV-Capable. Costs $ 6 million each (£ 52 crore); Development costs $ 300 million (£ 2,610 crore).
• Agni-P: sixth in the series, 2,000 km range, 1.5 tonnes of load capacity, focuses on Pakistan, Indo-Pacific strategic role.
• Agni-V Bunker Buster variant: 7,500 kg loading load, 2,500 km range, penetrates 80-100 m before detonation. Air-burst version planned.
• Type & Launch: Medium to Intercontinental-Range Ballistic Missiles (MRBM/IRBM/ICBM)-Gelanced from Road-Mobile, Rail-Mobile and Canisterised Platforms.

Brahmos Cruise Missile

• Origin: jointly developed by DRDO (India) and NPO Mashinostroyeniya (Russia).
• Launch platforms: Land (Mobile Launcher), Sea (Ship VLS), Air (SU-30mki), submarine (underwater worker).
• Performance: 400 km range, Mach 2.8 (3,430 km/h), “Fire and forget” system.
• Variants:
• Brahmos-NG: smaller, lighter version for hunters such as LCA tejas MK 1A; SU-30MKI can wear 3.
• Extensive range: now 800 km; 220 ordered in 2024.
• Export: sold to Philippines; Talk to Indonesia, Vietnam.
• Brahmos-II: Hypersonic scramjet-driven, 1500 km range, Mach 8 (9,800 km/h). Tested April 2025 (Scramjet Engine), May 2025 (flight of 800 km).
• Type & launch: Supersonic and Hypersonic Cruise missiles- launched from land, sea, air and submarine platforms.

Nirbhay Cruise Rocket

• Reach: 1500 km; 200–300 kg core head; Low -flying for Stealth.
• Land-Mobile and Warship vertical launch variants; used along Lac.
• Engine: Russian NPO Saturn 36mt.
• Variants:
• LR-LACM: Land-Attack Cruise Missile, 1500 km.
• SLCM: submarine launched, 500 km (planned 800 km).
• Type & Launch: Subsonic Cruise Missiles-Gelanced by road-mobile buses, Warship VL’s and submarine torpedo bipes.

Play Missile – Important functions

• Type & launch: tactical quasi-ballistic surface-to-surface Rocket-Lanced from road-mobile consumption Ashok Leyland 12 × 12 vehicle.
• Reach and load: 150–500 km; 350–1,000 kg of core heads; <10 m accuracy.
• Kar head -types:
• Hepf: Fragmentation blast.
• PCB: then explodes.
• RDPS: Land ranges damage.
• Possibilities: Hypersonic (> Mach 5/6,125 km / h), maneuverability in the middle of the flight, focuses on radars, commandocentra, tactical positions.
• Status: ready since 2022; Mod order in September 2023; Shown in Republic Day Parade 2025.

Rudam Rakettes – Important Functions and Variants

• Type & Launch: Air-to-Surface Anti-Radiation Missiles-Gelanced from Fighter Aircraft (SU-30mki, Mirage 2000, Jaguar, tejas).
• Roles: Sead (oppression of enemy air defense) – Destroys Radars, also hits communication hubs and command jentras.

Variants:

• Rudam-1: 100–250 km, Mach 2 (2.48 km/h).
• Rudam-2: 300–350 km, Mach 5.5 (6,791 km/h).
• Rudram-3: 550–600 km, hypersonic, deep strike, PCB core head.
• Rudam-4: more than 300 km, Mach 5+, lighter stand-off strike rocket.
• Guidelines: MMW Seeker, Iir -Camera, Ins/GPS; Locking before or after the launch.
• Promotion: double pulsed fixed rocket motor.
• Status: Rudram-1 in production by 2026; Rudram-2 knew; Rudam-3 tests; Rudram-4 in early development.

Future of stand-off weapons

Conflicts in Ukraine and South Asia show the value of long-distance strikes. Although expensive, they are worth the investment.
India is working on:

• Marvs: maneuverable nuclear heads using radical route changes, jet roads and advanced modeling.
• Combined cycle missiles: scramjet, ramjet and rocket boosters for mach 6–8 (7,350-9,800 km/h) with mid-course maneuvers.
• Agni-VI: 6,000-10,000 km reach, Mirv & Marv, launchable in land and submarines.

With these progress, India is settling firmly under the leading rocket forces in the world.

(The author of this article is a defense, space travel and political analyst based in Bengaluru. He is also director of Add Engineering Components, India, PVT. LTD, a subsidiary of ADD Engineering GmbH, Germany. You can reach him on: girishlinganna@gmail.com)

(Disclaimer: The views expressed above are the author and do not reflect those of DNA)