A clear picture on India's longest missile Agni-V will emerge in the coming days with scientists shifting gears to put the beast closer to the first-strike zone. Photo: Tarmak007
By Anantha Krishnan M
Express News Service
Kuttemperoor (Kerala): Agni-V, the Big Daddy of Indian missiles is warming up for a possible ‘first strike,’ in February or March. Sources associated with Independent India’s longest kill-toy project told Express that all propulsion stages of the 5,000-plus-range, nuke-capable and near-Inter-continental Ballistic Missile (ICBM) have been tested. As this piece is fired to the print, the flight systems are being integrated with final tests on getting underway.
The launch is scheduled from the Wheeler Island, off Orissa Coast, and sources in the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) confirm that the campaign has entered the near-mission mode phase. Notwithstanding the Red Dragon’s uneasiness over India’s killer-instinct moves with A-V’s pre-test propaganda, missile scientists are inspired by New Delhi’s desire to see the Big Daddy’s first target-Thandavam. (Note: The word Thandavam comes from Shiva Thandavam, a dance form linked to Hindu God Lord Shiva. It is widely believed that Thandavam represents both destruction & creation of the Universe and reveals the cycles of death and birth. The usage of target-Thandavam is to depict the possible destruction depths of the missile and should be seen as an innovative coinage of a phrase for convenient writing and not making light of the might of Lord Shiva as believed by His followers. |akm|)
The missile can be launched from anywhere in Indian in any direction at any time. It does not require any pre-planning and computes its own path once the launch point and target are specified. “The course of the missile changes depending upon in-flight estimation of system performance. It has several very strong built-in safety features. The US, Russia and China have missiles of ranges higher than A-V. However, in the Indian threat scenario, it meets all the requirements. There are no exact equivalents,” claim sources.
With composite propulsion motors for stages two and three, the A-V boasts of many new first-time technologies. The Stage-3 is a conical motor -- first of its kind in the country. The electronics systems are highly integrated with digital connectivity to minimise cabling. “What used to be tens of kilometres of cabling has been reduced considerably. It uses highly accurate navigation system integrated in a multi-sensor environment, a completely closed missile fired from a canister are some other features,” say sources.
It will be a ready-to-use-weapon. The heating during re-entry is much more severe in this system with temperatures going beyond 4000 degrees Celsius. “It also carries multiple instrumentation systems and is designed to carry single payload. Like all other Agni-series missiles, this is also nuclear capable. It is a road mobile system with range of more than 5000 km,” sources said.
Most of the technologies onboard A-V (ring-laser gyro-based inertial navigation system [RINS], micro-navigation system [MINGS], redundancy management, composite motor and closed inter-stage) have been tested in Agni-IV. “The composite motors are 2-m diameter carrying considerably higher propellant. The flight duration of this system is also longer. The thermal environment during re-entry is considerably more severe which will be tested during the first flight,” sources said.
The core strength of A-V comes from DRDO’s key installations in Hyderabad including Advanced System laboratory, Research Centre Imarat and Defence Research Development Laboratory. Many industries and academic institutions are involved with A-V project. The core team consists of about 100 scientists. In addition, over 1000 engineers, technicians and scientists have been roped in from 15 DRDO labs for the design of various sub-systems.
With composite propulsion motors for stages two and three, the A-V boasts of many new first-time technologies. The Stage-3 is a conical motor -- first of its kind in the country. The electronics systems are highly integrated with digital connectivity to minimise cabling. “What used to be tens of kilometres of cabling has been reduced considerably. It uses highly accurate navigation system integrated in a multi-sensor environment, a completely closed missile fired from a canister are some other features,” say sources.
It will be a ready-to-use-weapon. The heating during re-entry is much more severe in this system with temperatures going beyond 4000 degrees Celsius. “It also carries multiple instrumentation systems and is designed to carry single payload. Like all other Agni-series missiles, this is also nuclear capable. It is a road mobile system with range of more than 5000 km,” sources said.
Most of the technologies onboard A-V (ring-laser gyro-based inertial navigation system [RINS], micro-navigation system [MINGS], redundancy management, composite motor and closed inter-stage) have been tested in Agni-IV. “The composite motors are 2-m diameter carrying considerably higher propellant. The flight duration of this system is also longer. The thermal environment during re-entry is considerably more severe which will be tested during the first flight,” sources said.
The core strength of A-V comes from DRDO’s key installations in Hyderabad including Advanced System laboratory, Research Centre Imarat and Defence Research Development Laboratory. Many industries and academic institutions are involved with A-V project. The core team consists of about 100 scientists. In addition, over 1000 engineers, technicians and scientists have been roped in from 15 DRDO labs for the design of various sub-systems.
[Copyright@The New Indian Express]
