Shaurya missile
Encyclopedia
The Shaurya missile is a canister launched Hypersonic
surface-to-surface
tactical missile
developed by the India
n Defence Research and Development Organization (DRDO) for use by the Indian Armed Forces
. It has a range of between 750 to 1900 km and is capable of carrying a payload of one ton conventional or nuclear warhead. It gives the potential to strike in the short-intermediate range against any adversary. The Shaurya missile provides India with a significant second strike
capability.
Shaurya missiles can remain hidden or camouflaged in underground silos from enemy surveillance or satellites till they are fired from the special storage-cum-launch canisters. DRDO scientists admit that given Shaurya's limited range at present, either the silos will have to be constructed closer to India's borders or an extended range version will have to be developed. The Shaurya system will require some more tests before it becomes fully operational in two to three years. Moreover, defence scientists say the high-speed, two-stage Shaurya is highly maneuverable which also makes it less vulnerable to existing anti-missile defence systems.
Shaurya can reach a velocity of Mach 7.5
even at low altitudes. On November 12 2008, the missile reached a velocity of Mach 5 as it crossed a distance of 300 km, with a surface temperature of 700{+0} Celsius. The missile performed rolls to spread the heat uniformly on its surface. Flight time is between 500 seconds and 700 seconds. It has been described as a complex system with high-performance navigation and guidance systems, efficient propulsion systems, state-of-the-art control technologies and canisterised launch. It can be easily transported by road and launched by TEL
. The missile, encased in a canister, is mounted on a single vehicle, which has only a driver’s cabin, and the vehicle itself is the launch platform. This “single vehicle solution” reduces its signature – it cannot be easily detected by satellites – and makes its deployment easy.The gas generator, located at the bottom of the canister, fires for about a second and a half. It produces high pressure gas, which expands and ejects the missile from the tube. The missile has six motors; the first one is the motor in the gas generator.The centerpiece of a host of new technologies incorporated in Shourya is its ring laser gyroscope
and accelerometer
. The ring laser gyroscope was tested & integrated by the Research Center Imarat (RCI) based in Hyderabad.
Shaurya missile was revealed to be designed specifically to be fired from submarines. Top DRDO scientist has confirmed this and said that this missile after taking off and reaching a height of about 50 km will start flying like a Hypersonic cruise missile. Once it reaches the target areas it maneuvers towards the target before striking with an accuracy of 20 to 30 m within the target area.
The missile was successfully test-fired for the third time, from the Integrated Test Range at Chandipur, Orissa, on Saturday 24th September-2011, in its final configuration. The missile flew at 7.5 Mach
, that is, 7.5 times the speed of sound and covered its full range of 700 km in 500 seconds.
This was the third successful launch of Shourya, a surface-to-surface missile and it paves the way for its production and induction into the Navy. Shourya is the land-variant of the K-15 underwater missile that is being fitted into India’s nuclear-powered submarine, Arihant. So Shourya can be used by both the Navy and the Army. It can carry both nuclear and conventional warheads.
Hypersonic
In aerodynamics, a hypersonic speed is one that is highly supersonic. Since the 1970s, the term has generally been assumed to refer to speeds of Mach 5 and above...
surface-to-surface
Surface-to-surface missile
A surface-to-surface missile is a guided projectile launched from a hand-held, vehicle mounted, trailer mounted or fixed installation or from a ship. They are often powered by a rocket motor or sometimes fired by an explosive charge, since the launching platform is typically stationary or moving...
tactical missile
Missile
Though a missile may be any thrown or launched object, it colloquially almost always refers to a self-propelled guided weapon system.-Etymology:The word missile comes from the Latin verb mittere, meaning "to send"...
developed by the India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
n Defence Research and Development Organization (DRDO) for use by the Indian Armed Forces
Indian Armed Forces
The Indian Armed Forces are the military forces of the Republic of India. They consist of the Army, Navy and Air Force, supported by three paramilitary forces and various inter-service institutions such as the Strategic Forces Command.The President of India is...
. It has a range of between 750 to 1900 km and is capable of carrying a payload of one ton conventional or nuclear warhead. It gives the potential to strike in the short-intermediate range against any adversary. The Shaurya missile provides India with a significant second strike
Second strike
In nuclear strategy, a second strike capability is a country's assured ability to respond to a nuclear attack with powerful nuclear retaliation against the attacker...
capability.
Description
The Shaurya missile is speculated to be the land version of the under-water Sagarika K-15 missile, although DRDO officials have reportedly denied its connection with the K-15 program Shaurya is stored in a composite canister, which makes it much easier to store for long periods without maintenance as well as to handle and transport. It also houses the gas generator to eject the missile from the canister before its solid propellant motors take over to hurl it at the intended target.Shaurya missiles can remain hidden or camouflaged in underground silos from enemy surveillance or satellites till they are fired from the special storage-cum-launch canisters. DRDO scientists admit that given Shaurya's limited range at present, either the silos will have to be constructed closer to India's borders or an extended range version will have to be developed. The Shaurya system will require some more tests before it becomes fully operational in two to three years. Moreover, defence scientists say the high-speed, two-stage Shaurya is highly maneuverable which also makes it less vulnerable to existing anti-missile defence systems.
Shaurya can reach a velocity of Mach 7.5
Mach number
Mach number is the speed of an object moving through air, or any other fluid substance, divided by the speed of sound as it is in that substance for its particular physical conditions, including those of temperature and pressure...
even at low altitudes. On November 12 2008, the missile reached a velocity of Mach 5 as it crossed a distance of 300 km, with a surface temperature of 700{+0} Celsius. The missile performed rolls to spread the heat uniformly on its surface. Flight time is between 500 seconds and 700 seconds. It has been described as a complex system with high-performance navigation and guidance systems, efficient propulsion systems, state-of-the-art control technologies and canisterised launch. It can be easily transported by road and launched by TEL
Transporter erector launcher
A transporter erector launcher is a vehicle with an integrated prime mover that can carry, elevate to firing position and launch one or more missiles. Such vehicles exist for both surface-to-air missiles and surface-to-surface missiles...
. The missile, encased in a canister, is mounted on a single vehicle, which has only a driver’s cabin, and the vehicle itself is the launch platform. This “single vehicle solution” reduces its signature – it cannot be easily detected by satellites – and makes its deployment easy.The gas generator, located at the bottom of the canister, fires for about a second and a half. It produces high pressure gas, which expands and ejects the missile from the tube. The missile has six motors; the first one is the motor in the gas generator.The centerpiece of a host of new technologies incorporated in Shourya is its ring laser gyroscope
Ring laser gyroscope
A ring laser gyroscope consists of a ring laser having two counter-propagating modes over the same path in order to detect rotation. It operates on the principle of the Sagnac effect which shifts the nulls of the internal standing wave pattern in response to angular rotation...
and accelerometer
Accelerometer
An accelerometer is a device that measures proper acceleration, also called the four-acceleration. This is not necessarily the same as the coordinate acceleration , but is rather the type of acceleration associated with the phenomenon of weight experienced by a test mass that resides in the frame...
. The ring laser gyroscope was tested & integrated by the Research Center Imarat (RCI) based in Hyderabad.
Shaurya missile was revealed to be designed specifically to be fired from submarines. Top DRDO scientist has confirmed this and said that this missile after taking off and reaching a height of about 50 km will start flying like a Hypersonic cruise missile. Once it reaches the target areas it maneuvers towards the target before striking with an accuracy of 20 to 30 m within the target area.
Testing
The missile was first test fired on November 12, 2008. The missile was launched from an underground facility with an in-built canister from Complex-3 of the Integrated Test Range at Chandipur.The missile was successfully test-fired for the third time, from the Integrated Test Range at Chandipur, Orissa, on Saturday 24th September-2011, in its final configuration. The missile flew at 7.5 Mach
Mach number
Mach number is the speed of an object moving through air, or any other fluid substance, divided by the speed of sound as it is in that substance for its particular physical conditions, including those of temperature and pressure...
, that is, 7.5 times the speed of sound and covered its full range of 700 km in 500 seconds.
This was the third successful launch of Shourya, a surface-to-surface missile and it paves the way for its production and induction into the Navy. Shourya is the land-variant of the K-15 underwater missile that is being fitted into India’s nuclear-powered submarine, Arihant. So Shourya can be used by both the Navy and the Army. It can carry both nuclear and conventional warheads.