India first to develop long-range hypersonic missile: Defence experts

BHUBANESWAR: India is the first country to develop a long-range hypersonic missile that can travel more than eight times the speed of sound and is a game-changer in global defence technology which no other countries have, claimed defence scientists.

The Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) recently test-fired the country’s first long-range hypersonic missile that can carry both conventional and nuclear warheads to a distance exceeding 1,500 km at a speed of nearly 3 km per second.

Although in terms of technology, India is the fourth country to possess a hypersonic missile, it is the first country to have successfully tested a hypersonic missile that can travel twice the range of the missile that Russia has in its arsenal.

“The hypersonic missile that India now possesses is unique in terms of speed, range, precision and detectability. It is a game-changer and going to play an important role providing an edge to our Armed Forces,” former DRDO chairman G Satheesh Reddy told The New Indian Express.

The superfast hypersonic missile is of two types - hypersonic glide vehicle (ballistic) and hypersonic cruise missile. The hypersonic ballistic missiles are usually launched with a rocket booster. After the booster gets separated at a certain altitude, it travels towards the target much faster. The hypersonic cruise missiles, on the other hand, use scramjet engines to maintain speed throughout their flight path and possess high manoeuvrability.

“What India has developed is not exactly a hypersonic cruise missile, but is like a hypersonic cruise missile. It can manoeuvre in-flight to avoid getting detected by enemy radar and shot down. This missile is a technological marvel and a great achievement in India’s missile technology,” said a defence scientist.

The DRDO has also successfully demonstrated the hypersonic air-breathing scramjet technology with the flight test of Hypersonic Technology Demonstration Vehicle (HSTDV).

The second-generation BrahMos missile is also under development in a joint venture with Russia. It will be a hypersonic cruise missile with a range of over 1,500 km. The former DRDO chief said another technology which India has been working on is solid fuel ducted ramjet (SFDR), which will help develop long range air-to-air missiles.

“SFDR will help the country master cutting-edge technology. Once fully developed, India will be the first country to possess such capability,” Reddy added. (The new Indian Express)