Long-Range Anti-Ship Hypersonic Missile
India publicly
unveiled its first long-range hypersonic missile during a display of military
power at the country’s 77th Republic Day parade at Kartavya Path in New
Delhi.The Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) tableau
prominently featured the Long Range Anti-Ship Hypersonic Missile and naval
technologies for combat submarines.The display underscored India’s advances in
indigenous missile development and underwater warfare systems.It represents
India’s entry into the elite club of hypersonic weapon-capable nations,
particularly in anti-ship systems.
Key Highlights of the LR-AShM (Long Range Anti-Ship Hypersonic Missile)
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The LR-AShM is India’s first publicly unveiled long-range hypersonic
missile developed indigenously by DRDO.
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It is designed primarily to meet the coastal battery requirements of the
Indian Navy.
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Speed: It follows a quasi-ballistic trajectory and achieves speeds up to
Mach 10 with an average speed of around Mach 5.
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Launcher: The missile is mounted on a mobile
transporter-erector-launcher based on a 12×12 high-mobility vehicle.
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Range: It is designed to carry multiple payload types and is reported to
have a range exceeding 1,500 kilometres.
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Precision Targeting: The missile is capable of engaging both static and
moving maritime targets with high precision.
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Trajectory: The missile performs multiple skip-glide manoeuvres during
flight, making detection and interception difficult.
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Sensors: It uses fully indigenous avionics and high-accuracy sensor
packages for terminal guidance.
¨ Propulsion: The system is powered by a two-stage solid propulsion rocket motor followed by an unpowered hypersonic glide phase.
¨ Low Detectability: Due to low-altitude flight and high manoeuvrability, enemy radar systems struggle to track the missile.
