World | India
New supersonic missile 'Shourya' test-fired
India yesterday successfully test-fired a new nuclear-capable surface-to-surface ballistic missile, that can also be launched from an attack-proof underground silo and is meant to give the Indian Army a credible second-strike capability, an official said.
- Agencies
- Published: 23:42 November 12, 2008
- The surface-to-surface "Shourya" missile that was launched by India on Wednesday.
- Image Credit: Reuters
New Delhi: India yesterday successfully test-fired a new nuclear-capable surface-to-surface ballistic missile, that can also be launched from an attack-proof underground silo and is meant to give the Indian Army a credible second-strike capability, an official said.
"The test was successful," said an official of the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), that has developed the missile. It is capable of hitting targets 600 kilometres away.
The surprise announcement about the new missile, named Shourya (or valour) was made after the test was conducted at 9.55am UAE time. It was not stated if the missile is tactical or nuclear-capable but it may be recalled that DRDO has had notable successes in missiles since 2007.
India has already deployed land and naval variants of the Indo-Russian Brahmos supersonic cruise missile, but the new missile tested today is indigenous.
"It is an Indian missile, and has sophisticated agility and anti-missile interception capability," official sources said.
It was not stated if Shourya is a cruise missile with terminal-guidance capability, or a ballistic missile with only inertial guidance. India and Russia are the only two countries having supersonic cruise missiles at present.
The range of the Brahmos though is only 300 kilometres. This limitation is imposed by Russia which is a member of the Missile Technology Control Regime, which prohibits export of weapons beyond 300 kilometres of range and 500 kilograms of explosives.
India has not signed the treaty but has observed it as part of its non-proliferation policy. It may be noted that nuclear-capable missiles are described as strategic, and are designed to hit large targets like cities. Tactical missiles on the other hand are designed to hit battlefield targets to win advantage.
A ministry of defence statement said: "Shourya has a unique feature of simplicity of operation and maintenance. The canisterised missile system can be easily handled, transported and stored within the canister for longer shelf life. The high manoeuvrability of the missile makes it less vulnerable to available anti-missile defence systems."
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