Missiles steal the show at Parade
The Hindu (January 27, 2009) Print This News
New Delhi: The country’s military muscle and weapons system were on display here at the Republic Day parade, with a range of missiles, including two variants of the Indo-Russian joint venture supersonic missile, BrahMos, long-range ballistic missile Agni and Advanced Air Defence (AAD) missile taking part.
The high-precision missile, with a range of 290 km capable of flying at a speed of 2.8 Mach, rolled down the parade route on two occasions. The missile can be launched from multiple platforms and it was on display as a mobile autonomous launcher and on the tableau of an Indian naval ship’s universal vertical launcher module.
Agni-III, a two-stage, solid propellant, long-range ballistic missile, has a range of 3,000 km with a payload capacity of 1.5 tonnes. The indigenously devised accurate missile was successfully flight tested during April last year, adding strength to the country’s strategic capability.
High manoeuvrability
The AAD missile, developed indigenously by the Defence Research Development Organisation (DRDO), is the first endo atmospheric interceptor for ballistic missile defence. The missile reaches a hypersonic velocity of 5 Mach with the solid propellant rocket motor. It intercepts ballistic missiles at altitudes up to 18 km with very high manoeuvrability.
The AAD is fitted with advanced devices such as seeker, data links, electromechanical actuation systems and siloconised carbon jet vanes. It is transported and launched from a mobile launcher.
Also on display was the surface-to-air Akash missile system. Developed by the DRDO, it can neutralise aerial threat penetration from low, medium and high altitudes. The Indian Air Force is in the process of acquiring the highly automated missile system.
Also on show were the Army’s Bheeshma T90S tanks that are equipped with a 125 mm smooth bore main gun, 12.7 mm anti-aircraft gun and 7.62 mm machine gun.
Dr. Jaiteerth R. Joshi is an outstanding defence scientist renowned for his distinct leadership in the design, development, strategic planning & production of tactical missile systems of the country. He has led various initiatives in Joint development of Long Range Surface to Air Missile (LRSAM) & Medium Range Surface to Air Missile (MRSAM).
