What is a naval ship without its armament?! Here are top ten weapon systems of the Indian Navy either inducted, or soon to be, which will be a major deterrence for potential adversaries!
Brahmos: We begin with the Brahmos! This ramjet-propelled supersonic Anti-Ship/Land Attack Cruise Missile jointly developed by Russia and India with sea-skimming capability defeats air defence systems and strikes targets at long distances with high accuracy. At a speed of Mach 3, the BrahMos can sink enemy ships in a single salvo owing to its high kinetic energy. This mainstay of the Indian Navy can be launched from an Universal Vertical Launcher Module (UVLM) and will be deployed by P-75I submarines as well. Range of the missile will be gradually increased to 600 km and later 900 km. The hypersonic version being developed will surely be the game changer for India’s armed forces in the future.
The Brahmos NG on LCA Tejas at Aero India 2019
BrahMos NG: this lighter version under development is designed for launch from torpedo tubes of submarines and is expected to be ready in the next four years. From P-75I submarines, BrahMos will be launched from the UVLM for land-attack roles and this lighter version also used for anti-ship tasks. The lighter, air-launched version will be carried by MiG-29Ks of the Indian Navy, as well as future carrier borne fighter aircraft. K-4: This nuclear-tipped Submarine Launched Ballistic Missile (SLBM) has a range of 3500 km and will be deployed on Arihant-class SSBN, indigenously developed in India. The long range missile will enable the Indian Navy to target major strategic targets while remaining out of their strike range. After several successful tests, the last development trial was conducted this year on 24 January. According to the latest reports this is ready for induction into the forces. The next challenge will be to develop a 5000 km-range SLBM.
RBU-6000: This 213 mm antisubmarine rocket launcher widely used by the Indian Navy fires RGB-60 rockets with a range of 5500 metres. The ARDE has recently developed the Extended Range Anti-Submarine Rocket (ER-ASR) to enhance range of the existing RGB-60 Anti Submarine Rocket from 5.3 km to 8.0+ km. The ER-ASR consists of two motor propulsion systems which can fire the rocket in both Short Range and Long Range modes with different range capabilities, from 500 m to 8900 m.
The RBU-6000 seen on a Russian Navy warship (pix: mil.ru & GNU)
Two RBU-6000 Smerch 2 Anti-Submarine Rocket Launchers on the INS Kadmatt, a Kamorta -class Corvette of the Indian Navy (pix: Rhk111 & GNU)
Varunastra Torpedo: This indigenous heavy weight torpedo has been developed by the Naval Science and Technological Laboratory (NSTL). This ship-launched, electrically-propelled platform is capable of targeting stealthy submarines, both in deep and shallow waters in an intense countermeasures environment. The submarine-launched version is under development and will be “one of the most advanced torpedoes in the world”. With a speed of 74 kmph, it is currently the third fastest torpedo in the world and can attain a depth of 400 mtrs. It has a dual guidance system which includes wire-guidance and active-passive acoustic homing. A fibreoptic channel is to be developed for the submarine launched version which will feature an improved front-end seeker. To avoid enemy countermeasures, this can be guided with the help of Global Positioning System (GPS). The Varunastra is claimed to be the first torpedo in the world with such technology.
Photo Vayu
Photo Vayu
Long Range Long Attack Cruise Missile: The LRLACM was unveiled at DefExpo 2020 (see above) and according to reports, this new system will have a range of 1000 km launched from a UVLM and some 20 development flight trials are planned. The subsonic missile will complement the hypersonic BrahMos in long range operations. A 1500 km version will reportedly be developed in the future.
Supersonic Missile Assisted Release of Torpedo (SMART): Successful maiden-test of the SMART took place on 5 October 2020. With a 650 km strike range, Indian Navy ships are now capable of engaging far off submarines, with SMART sinking an enemy submarine before the crew knows what hit them! Once developed, the Indian Navy could saturate enemy ports, quickly and effectively. The system is currently equipped with a light weight torpedo but soon it will feature a heavier weight one.
Naval Strike Missile: Developed by Kongsberg, the advanced platform will come in a package with the MH-60R multi-role helicopter, having has a range of 185 km. It will be difficult to detect this incoming missile because of its sea skimming capability.
NASM-SR: Existence of the NASMSR was revealed in 2018 when, in the Lok Sabha, the RM Nirmala Sitharaman named this in the list of DRDO developments. Initial details of this much speculated platform were unveiled at DefExpo 2020 and according to DRDO, the NASM-SR will be a 380 kg projectile with a maximum range of 55 km. Later, a longer range version will be developed as well; once developed and will complement the Naval Strike Missile.
Long Range Surface to Air Missile: The LRSAM will give ‘absolute protection’ to Indian warships, this potent air defence system not only capable of engaging enemy fighter aircraft at a range of 100 km but also thwart ballistic, cruise and drone strikes. This is jointly developed by the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) and Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI). The LRSAM along with future short range air defence system and Closein Weapon System (CIWS) will form an excellent shield for the Indian warships. A 150 km range version is under development. This review is not comprehensive but an overview of the Indian Navy’s offensive and defensive capabilities; with rapid modernisation the Navy, there will surely be more modern systems being inducted. It is heartening that most of the weapon systems that the Navy is inducting are indigenous as self-reliance is what India is aiming for and slowly, but surely, this seems to be becoming a reality!
The Barak-8 or the LR-SAM/MR-SAM is jointly being developed by DRDO and IAI.
Sankalan Chattopadhyay (Twitter @VinodDX9)