Agni III Test - News & Discussion-3

[disha]

{Admin note: Previous two threads moved to Mil Tech Archive Arun_S Admin hat on}

Second Agni-III test-1
Second Agni-III test-2

*****************************************************

Why is there a Little Cloud at the base of Agni III's Missile Cone , whilst the Missile is being launched ?

It is possible that missile is making a subsonic to supersonic transition, causing a water vapour condensation [adiabatic cooling] . Wheeler island near the sea, there is a higher level of humidity leading to such condensation.

A comparable image of an aircraft describing that phenom:

[vina]

Why is there a Little Cloud at the base of Agni III's Missile Cone , whilst the Missile is being launched ?

It is possible that missile is making a subsonic to supersonic transition, causing a water vapour condensation [adiabatic cooling] . Wheeler island near the sea, there is a higher level of humidity leading to such condensation.

Yes, I think it is water vapor condensing where the nose cone transitions to the full 2nd stage dia, and local pressure there must have fallen sufficeintly for that to occur..

A comparable image of an aircraft describing that phenom:

Link {edited by Admin to remove inpage view.replcaed with link. Arun_S Admin hat on}

No. I dont think it is a comparable image. What you posted it of sonic booms forming (canopy and wings) where there flow is becoming supersonic (atleast locally) and shock waves are forming the it becoming visible becuase of the water vapor present and the cooling happening as you pointed out.

However, in this pic, the missile hasnt even cleared the launch pad.. It is nowhere close to the speed of sound.. In fact, if you watch the clips, you can see the shockwave form and similar clouds form after a couple of seconds after lift off .. That is when I think it is punching throug the sound barrier and it is a comprable phenomenon of the F-18 breaking the sound barrier pic that you posted.

[Shankar]

No. I dont think it is a comparable image. What you posted it of sonic booms forming (canopy and wings) where there flow is becoming supersonic (atleast locally) and shock waves are forming the it becoming visible becuase of the water vapor present and the cooling happening as you pointed out.

Agreed -this is not a vapor condensation that some times accompany sonic transition.Either it is a low cloud (unlikely in a clear day)or may be the auto venting of RV high altitude motor propellant as the rocket clears the launch pad

[Sanjay]

Shankar, if I might ask, where did this quote below come from ?

Thanks
Sanjay
"Quote:
ndia today testfired the Agni-III ICBM for the first time. The missile, which is roughly 15 metre long and weighs around 40 tons, has a range of 5500km with a 1.5 ton payload; the first test . Few details of the missile are available, and only a single photograph (below) and brief video of the missile have ever been publicly released.

Agni is a Sanskrit word meaning 'Fire'. While the Agni-III has the same name as two other related missiles in the Indian missiles forces, it is a completely different missile with very different dimensions; Agni-I and II were just MRBM and IRBM versions of a common family, with the latter having an extra stage.

The naming choice was likely made to avoid suggesting an escalatory pose through a new missile, particularly in view of its diverse capabilities, and instead suggest an evolution of an existing system; in the past, missile specifications and ranges were purposefully obfuscated or understated by quoting range at maximum payload only, a system that continues to be used with the Agni-III as well.

In deployed form, the missile will carry one or more 200kt warheads, each of which weight 200-300kg. Unconfirmed news reports suggest the test launch itself carried multiple dummy payloads. The diameter and height of the missile also fits the subsurface launch system developed and tested in the recent past, indicating that it will serve as a common road/rail mobile ICBM as well as an SLBM, analogous to the DongFeng-31/JuLang-2 in the PLA's service"

[Shankar]

sanjay -sorry forgot to copy the address -while just browsing thru the net-shall try to locate if possible

[disha]

Agreed -this is not a vapor condensation that some times accompany sonic transition.Either it is a low cloud (unlikely in a clear day)or may be the auto venting of RV high altitude motor propellant as the rocket clears the launch pad

Questions here. Why would high altitude motor propellant be vented during launch? And what is vented? I mean is it water vapour or coolant or the propellant is burnt and vented?

[Gerard]

MMH and MON are both quite toxic in low concentrations so venting seems improbable

[Shankar]

venting can take place autonomously either to check the retro nozzles are clear or simply if excessive comand pressure is generated as the flight computer checks the tank pressurisation circuit at the time of pre launch countdown and then checks the auto pressure control mechanism by a controlled vent.

MMH and N2O4 I think is the propellant combination being used and toxicity is not a factor when you are burning tons of al/ammonium percholorate per second .No one actually stands near the launch stand they stay well well away inside a concrete bunker kms away with its own self contained breathing air supply.I know this because -- anyway small amount of propellant venting is no problem during missile/rocket launch it happens all the time.

[Arun_S]

This is most likely high pressure cold-air used for attitude control venting from its pressurized container, maybe a overpressure event and bleedfoff valve opened up.

Definitely not MMH/N2O4.

[ramana]

I already posted it was forward steering mechanism for attitude control. Its amazing that they are displaying this technique for it allows dispensing with aft fins etc.

[Sanjay]

Thanks Shankar, it would be useful to get that link for precise reference.

[Gerard]

Thanks Shankar, it would be useful to get that link for precise reference.

It comes from a 2006 post on the airliners.net forum

[Austin]

What ever it is , The cloud looks so beautiful around the fiery girl .

How could you guys miss the beauty aspect

[satyarthi]

Both these pictures available in Hi-Res from PTI for Rs2000/each .Search for "agni" amongst their photographs. Website is very flaky. Picture numbers: IND13191A, IND13190B

http://www.ptinews.com/pti/ptiphoto.nsf

[mandrake]

Should BR gonna buy them? It would be better if they are selling full screen images for that amount, BR might buy them and put up compressed version, ofcourse if majority approves to fund it

I already posted it was forward steering mechanism for attitude control. Its amazing that they are displaying this technique for it allows dispensing with aft fins etc.

Can you explain a bit how does the thing works i mean the mechanical mechanism?

[Arun_S]

Folks I need some help. I though someone did post it on previous Agni thread but I cant find it now.

What was the actual flight duration of this test?

I recalled a news report mentioning the liftoff time and splash time, but can't find it.

I only see vague: "approximately 15 minutes" or 13 mintes.

Can someone pls help?

[Gerard]

http://www.india-defence.com/reports/3030

Ministry of Defence Release
AGNI III from the Wheeler Island, off the coast of Orissa at 10.50 this morning. The 16 meter long missile weighing 48 tonnes, lifted off successfully from its Rail Mobile Launcher System leaving a trail of orange and yellow smoke. The missile which has a range of more than 3000 kms is capable of carrying a pay load of 1.5 Tonnes.

http://www.hindu.com/2007/04/13/stories ... 010100.htm

The 16.7-metre tall surface-to-surface missile lifted off at 10.52 a.m. from the Wheeler Island, off the coast of Orissa, and impacted on a pre-determined target in the ocean after flying for 13 minutes. It reached an altitude of 400 km before re-entering the earth's atmosphere.

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-new ... sts?page=3

"Yes, the test was absolutely successful," W. Selvamurthy, a senior official of the Defence Research and Development Organisation, which designed the missile, told Reuters.

"It took off at 10:50 a.m. (6:20 a.m. British time) and landed at 11:05 a.m.," he said. "We are absolutely satisfied with all the results and we have rectified the errors of last year's failure. It met all the target coordinates."

http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/200 ... 811000.htm

The two-stage Agni rocket was blasted at 10.52 a.m. and the missile zoomed into space.

It reached an altitude of 400 km in full 13 minutes from the take-off and made a perfect re-entry into the earth's atmosphere.

"All mission objectives were met during its flight and our indigenous technologies and systems validated," said Mr Avinash Chander, Programme Director of Project Agni.

The fully indigenous, composite-bodied Agni-III weighs 48 tonnes, is 16 metres tall with a payload capacity of 1.5 tonnes. The countdown to the lift-off involved hours of checking and cross-checking nearly 200 parameters for the missile command.

[Arun_S]

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-new ... sts?page=3

"Yes, the test was absolutely successful," W. Selvamurthy, a senior official of the Defence Research and Development Organisation, which designed the missile, told Reuters.

"It took off at 10:50 a.m. (6:20 a.m. British time) and landed at 11:05 a.m.," he said. "We are absolutely satisfied with all the results and we have rectified the errors of last year's failure. It met all the target coordinates."

Gerard: Thanks this is the one I was looking for.
15 minutes it is.

BTW the trajectory is only feasible for flight time of >15 min and <16 min.

[Sparsh]

Arun,

The top left image in the panel of four images in the "Introduction: Agni III" section of BR's Agni page has a broken url.

Please fix it.

[ramana]

Gerard, I want to thank you for the accurate tracking of news you have done everywhere eg. this thread and the nuke threads.
ramana

[Arun_S]

Arun,

The top left image in the panel of four images in the "Introduction: Agni III" section of BR's Agni page has a broken url.

Please fix it.

Thanks for reporting. We are working on it.

[ramana]

What I find disconcerting is press reports from India that talk of developing an ICBM and report the range as 5500km. A true ICBM will have a RV velocity of ~ 7km/sec leading to a range of 12000km. A 5500km range missile is not an ICBM by any stretch. So why dont hey say the next one is of 5500km and not mention ICBM. That only raises unwarranted attention.
The 5500km definition of ICBM was from the 50s.

[Philip]

Ramanna,one report I saw said that what the DRDO was trying to do was to extend the range of Agni-3 to 5,000km using different payloads and continue the further development of newer ICBM designs.Some sources say that Agni-3 actually has the potential of 5000km,but for Uncle Sam's threats have deliberately underplayed its true range.This was because Uncle Sam was alleged to have warned us about testing a 5,000km missile (anything that is Sino-Pak range-centric is OK,but nothing more)!

[Harry]

Arun, any chance of upgrading rocksim to include a real-time graph of the missile trajectories?

[Shankar]

ramana
PostPosted: 16 Apr 2007 05:29 am Post subject:
What I find disconcerting is press reports from India that talk of developing an ICBM and report the range as 5500km. A true ICBM will have a RV velocity of ~ 7km/sec leading to a range of 12000km. A 5500km range missile is not an ICBM by any stretch. So why dont hey say the next one is of 5500km and not mention ICBM. That only raises unwarranted attention.
The 5500km definition of ICBM was from the 50s.

7km/sec RV velocity is the one applicable to minuteman 3/peace keeper type ICBM which are max range ones capable of hitting any point of earth from any where.There are lower range models which still is considered as ICBM having a range 6000-8000 kms and still considered to be of intercontinental range

What is being speculated today I think is whether the agni 3 is capable of upgraded to low range ICBM with reduced payload which will allow it to reach 8000km so we can consider agni 3 as a reduced payload ICBM

The 1500 kg payload is applicable if we consider MIRV configuration.If the payload is reduced by a factor of 3 then surely range will increase automatically increasing the re entry velocity(arun pl confirm this is the case)bringing it closer to 7 km/sec as seen in more established ICBMs

Obviuosly Agni 3 was not launched at max range as seen from its flight profile and flight duration. The million dollar question is what if it were launched at max range with much higher trajectory the optimum one

[Shankar]

A ballistic missile works by burning propellant and ejecting the hot gases through a nozzle, typically at a velocity of around 2500 meters per second (m/sec). The thrust from the exhaust causes the missile to accelerate. A given thrust will cause progressively higher accelerations as the missile lightens due to the consumption of its propellant. All of the propellant is consumed in the first few minutes of flight, following which the missile coasts above the atmosphere at a speed of several kilometers per second to its target. In an idealized case, the burnout velocity would be equal to the exhaust velocity times the natural logarithm of the ratio of gross missile weight to the payload. In real life, the missile will need additional impulse to reach a given velocity. Account must be taken of: the structural weight of the missile (typically discarded in several stages during boost phase); air resistance during boost; and gravity during boost. Still, the idealized relationship is useful: it provides an optimistic upper bound on what can be achieved when parameters are varied. At short ranges, the range of the missile will go as the square of its burnout velocity. Due to the curvature of the earth, at longer ranges the range will increase more rapidly. Table 2 shows the burnout velocity needed to reach various ranges, together with the payload fractions associated with missiles that attain any given velocity.

Table 2. Burnout Velocity and Payload Fraction vs. Missile Range

Range (km) Burnout Velocity (m/sec) Payload
/Gross Weight
300 1700 .150 - .200
600 2400 .080 - .120
1000 3000 .070 - .110
1500 3600 .055 - .095
2000 4100 .040 - .080
3000 4800 .030 - .065
4000 5400 .025 - .060
6000 6200 .020 - .050
8000 6800 .016 - .042
10,000 7200 .013 - .035
12,000 7400 .011 - .030

For example, a 6000-km range missile would need a 6200 m/sec burnout velocity and could achieve this while devoting 2-5% of its gross weight to payload; a 10,000-km range missile would need 7200 m/sec and could devote 1.3-3.5% of its weight to payload, about two-thirds as much. Thus, the table can be used to scale payload fractions as the missile range is varied. The scaling indicated in Table 2 is probably a bit optimistic from the missile designer's perspective. The original missile design is optimized to produce the best possible distribution of propellant and structural weight among the stages. Adding a new upper stage (adapted from a different missile) or offloading payload will not necessarily yield an optimal mix. Thus, the payload penalty for increasing the range could be greater than the table indicates.

The concept of payload merits discussion because definitions can vary widely. Consider the weight remaining when the missile reaches burnout velocity. It includes the empty weight of the burned-out final stage. If this is deducted, what remains is the throw-weight or payload (shown in Table 2 as a fraction of gross weight). This includes the MIRV bus (if any), the decoys (if any), the guidance system, and one or more re-entry vehicles (RVs). Typically, a single RV will account for two-thirds or more of the payload; but because of the need for a bus, multiple RVs will add up to only about half the payload. The RV consists of a nuclear warhead, a fuze, and a heat shield. The heat shield may account for about one-third of this weight. Thus, less than half the payload will commonly be available for the weight of a nuclear warhead.
A final problem is re-entry. As the RV re-enters the atmosphere at a velocity of more than 7000 m/sec, it encounters tremendous drag and slows down, eventually striking the ground at somewhere between 200-3000 m/sec. While slowing down, the RV generates tremendous heat that must be removed or else the RV will burn up. The ICBMs that could be developed by North Korea, Iraq, or Iran would use a blunt, high-drag heat sink-essentially a dome of copper armor. As the RV decelerates, the heat sink warms up and transfers most of the heat to the air rushing past. Most of the deceleration occurs at high altitude where the air is thin. By the time the RV reaches the denser lower atmosphere, it is no longer traveling at tremendous speed. The heat-sink approach was used on all of the early US and Soviet ICBMs. It has three drawbacks: it is heavy; its low final velocity gives the wind a longer time to alter the RV's course, degrading its accuracy; and its low final velocity makes it vulnerable to terminal interceptors. One consequence of relying on heat sinks is that no matter how good the guidance system is, the ICBM will be limited to a CEP of at least 500 meters at full range. Shorter range missiles often use pointed, low-drag heat sinks, but this approach is not available at ICBM re-entry velocities: the RV would burn up.

just edited and posted from an internet article for discussion

http://npc.sarov.ru/english/digest/82002/appendix7.html

[Rishirishi]

Ramanna,one report I saw said that what the DRDO was trying to do was to extend the range of Agni-3 to 5,000km using different payloads and continue the further development of newer ICBM designs.Some sources say that Agni-3 actually has the potential of 5000km,but for Uncle Sam's threats have deliberately underplayed its true range.This was because Uncle Sam was alleged to have warned us about testing a 5,000km missile (anything that is Sino-Pak range-centric is OK,but nothing more)!

That is also my impression. The 1,5 tonne payload can be reduced considrebly and the range increased. Even a 250 kg warhead can be a considrable threat.

But It would be outright stupid to advertise or even build up capacity that could threatn EU or US. Posessing tactical nuclear weapons for a country the size of India, is sufficient threat for even the US to avoid a direct conflict with India.
What we need to focus on now is getting the ATV (nuclear sub) that can launch missiles with a range of minimum 1500 km. We need 4 such boats.

[vinayak_d]

But It would be outright stupid to advertise or even build up capacity that could threatn EU or US. Posessing tactical nuclear weapons for a country the size of India, is sufficient threat for even the US to avoid a direct conflict with India.
What we need to focus on now is getting the ATV (nuclear sub) that can launch missiles with a range of minimum 1500 km. We need 4 such boats.

Why?? India needs ICBM's there are no two ways about it. You want us to stop supporting pakis get the ability to hit them. There is no need to waste money on ATV if only 1500 KM range missiles are reqd. I would rather they use it for poverty elevation in that case. ATV better come with Agni-3Sl (Hopefully 3 stage) with atleast 5000km range.

[Rishirishi]

Why?? India needs ICBM's there are no two ways about it. You want us to stop supporting pakis get the ability to hit them. There is no need to waste money on ATV if only 1500 KM range missiles are reqd. I would rather they use it for poverty elevation in that case. ATV better come with Agni-3Sl (Hopefully 3 stage) with atleast 5000km range.

An ICBM has nothing to do with Pakistan or china, as both countires are well covred with the Agni's. An ICBM will make it possible to strike anywhere in the world and would be directed towards US, EU and Russia. There is no other rationale for making an ICBM.

Building 5000 km nuclear strike underwater capability is very difficult, but would be great if possible. But a 1500 km range will give India a great strike capability against Pakistan and China.
Hving a possibility to hit multiple targets from a nuclear submarine is essentail for building a creadble nuclear deterrent. It gives crucial second strike ability.

[vinayak_d]

Who said India was developing country specific missiles? DRDO has already mentioned that ICBM would be the next logical step and they are correct. EU need not know why India needs ICBM's. We did not ask France to explain why they needed one.
A 1500 km capability is next to useless in the context of SLBM's. The idea is to hide in Indian ocean and still be able to defang the lizard.

[ShibaPJ]

Rishirishi,

Agni is the name given to a series of missiles, which covers the entire spectrum from IRBMs to ICBMs and anything that falls inbtn. All of them are for deterrence purposes against various threats.

I don't understand this subservient attitude of not having an ICBM, because it covers US, EU and Russia. In today's world, you need to be both militarily and economically strong to earn what is rightfully due to you. US, EU (some constituents atleast) and Russia all have had the wherewithal to cover India since last 40 years; what would you call that? India needs to develop the capability to defend herself, to ensure that the 7th fleet's incursion in '71 does not get repeated. Intents can change faster than the time to develop capabilities, the sooner we understand this, the better off we would be.

[Arun_S]

New postPosted: 16 Apr 2007 Post subject: Reply with quote Edit/Delete this post Delete this post View IP address of poster
Arun, any chance of upgrading rocksim to include a real-time graph of the missile trajectories?

2D grap or 3D? What do you suggest should be the perspective view of the trajectory?

The current enhancement that has been moving forward st snail's pace is to configure and simulate strapon stages,

The next I was planning was to allow the rocket attitude to change per defined profile.

Couple of people sent me email offering their skill to allow graphical visulization. But none ventured beyond first email of technical discussion

Hey but you guys are my customers, you psl give a sense of customer feedback on what next for ROCKSIM.

ramana
PostPosted: 16 Apr 2007 05:29 am Post subject:
What I find disconcerting is press reports from India that talk of developing an ICBM and report the range as 5500km. A true ICBM will have a RV velocity of ~ 7km/sec leading to a range of 12000km. A 5500km range missile is not an ICBM by any stretch. So why dont hey say the next one is of 5500km and not mention ICBM. That only raises unwarranted attention.
The 5500km definition of ICBM was from the 50s.

7km/sec RV velocity is the one applicable to minuteman 3/peace keeper type ICBM which are max range ones capable of hitting any point of earth from any where.There are lower range models which still is considered as ICBM having a range 6000-8000 kms and still considered to be of intercontinental range

What is being speculated today I think is whether the agni 3 is capable of upgraded to low range ICBM with reduced payload which will allow it to reach 8000km so we can consider agni 3 as a reduced payload ICBM

The 1500 kg payload is applicable if we consider MIRV configuration.If the payload is reduced by a factor of 3 then surely range will increase automatically increasing the re entry velocity(arun pl confirm this is the case)bringing it closer to 7 km/sec as seen in more established ICBMs

You hit th enail on head. 1500Kg is only applicable for MIRV. Thus the last test was almost certainlya development flight and the next bird will have more feature/functions.

Obviuosly Agni 3 was not launched at max range as seen from its flight profile and flight duration. The million dollar question is what if it were launched at max range with much higher trajectory the optimum one

I have figured that out last trajectory that also gave an estimate of amount of energy lost in the dog tail wagging maneuver, pls wait for one day.

As for your question the answer is solid. It is what is on BR A3 section.

[bhavani]

Why?? India needs ICBM's there are no two ways about it. You want us to stop supporting pakis get the ability to hit them. There is no need to waste money on ATV if only 1500 KM range missiles are reqd. I would rather they use it for poverty elevation in that case. ATV better come with Agni-3Sl (Hopefully 3 stage) with atleast 5000km range.

An ICBM has nothing to do with Pakistan or china, as both countires are well covred with the Agni's. An ICBM will make it possible to strike anywhere in the world and would be directed towards US, EU and Russia. There is no other rationale for making an ICBM.

Building 5000 km nuclear strike underwater capability is very difficult, but would be great if possible. But a 1500 km range will give India a great strike capability against Pakistan and China.
Hving a possibility to hit multiple targets from a nuclear submarine is essentail for building a creadble nuclear deterrent. It gives crucial second strike ability.

Rationale,

There is a rationale, to get rid rid of Arm-twisting by Unkle once in for all and the double standards shown by EU and US. we also need ICBM's keeping in view that the day jehadi flags fly over the capitals of europe are not far off.

Unkle is increasing and modernising his force in a blinding pace and even Europe has been left in dust. Even ICBM may not be a deterrent against unkle soon.

See the whole pressure to not to build and whole media blitz about our missiles will vanish once we deploy a decent force of missiles.

Now nobody in US or EU talks about chinese 10,000Km range missiles, because they already have it. Every just keeps shut and learn to live with the facts.

We have to make our nuclear forces including ICBM's a reality and a fact which everybody has to live with?

Anyway ATV with Missiles of 1500 Km range dont make much sense. They should be able to launch a nuclear strike on china or Pakistan or for that matter any country from a good distance. All those P-3C and innumerable number of diesel boats of china which will be searching for our nuclear boats. remember these chinese boats are expendable in the view of chinese as long as they can keep our SSN and SSBN's at bay.

An SSBN with 16 - 20 missiles with a range of 8000Km is what an ideal SSBN is.

[NRao]

Bin Laden will help India convince the US that an ICBM is good for health.

So, do not worry.

It has to happen. There is no alternative.

[svinayak]

Even ICBM may not be a deterrent against unkle soon.

This situation will change the world dynamics and all major countries would worry the most.

[ramana]

Adm. Cunningham who was head of RIN during WWII and was very infleuntial on lot of IN officers for his professionalism wrote "Naming enemies is creating enemies." This quote is in Adm. Kohli's book on India and the Indian ocean.


Same way when the next gen vehicle is only 5500km why scream ICBM which creates unwarranted disquiet. ICBM implies 12000km range to popular imagination despite what ever is the technical definition.

[Gerard]

Anyway ATV with Missiles of 1500 Km range dont make much sense. They should be able to launch a nuclear strike on china or Pakistan or for that matter any country from a good distance.

Correct. You end up with something like the Xia, which has never been on a patrol. The JL-1 missiles it was originally equipped with were short range and unable to threaten anyone from Chinese waters. If it left Chinese territorial waters, the noisy Xia would have been a sitting duck. It would have to approach the coastline of the adversary to launch it missiles. No problem against say Fiji, but a serious one if confronting Unkil and his fleet of SSNs.
Singha posted that the JL-1 had to be launched when the sub was surfaced which makes matters worse.

[shyamd]

Don't know if this was announced before. Arun_S saar hinted on it earlier.
India’s secret ICBM ambitions
[quote]Official Indian sources say India is capable of building an ICBM with a range of 5,500 km, but some dream a rocket that could reach 15,000 km. The development worries China, but New Delhi downplays the issue saying that it is only pursuing its own security. Meanwhile scientific work continues.

New Delhi (AsiaNews/Agencies) – India can extend the range of its nuclear range beyond Asia. The announcement was made by the Indian government's Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) which said that it had the technology to build inter-continental ballistic missiles (ICBM) that could extend nuclear-armed India's reach even beyond Asia. For some India harbours a secret ambition to develop an ICBM that could reach the United States.

“We have achieved the capability to make missiles with a range of 5,500km but the decision to develop an ICBM has to be taken by the political leadership,â€

[vinayak_d]

Arun or other gurus , IS there any news on Agni-II AT missile induction into the army? Since Agni-II AT is capable of striking deep into lizard territory currently it is the only deterrence against them. Will the Army phase out the older Agni-II's or will they also serve along with the AT's.

[Arun_S]

[quote="shyamd"]Don't know if this was announced before. Arun_S saar hinted on it earlier.
India’s secret ICBM ambitions

New Delhi (AsiaNews/Agencies) – India can extend the range of its nuclear range beyond Asia. The announcement was made by the Indian government's Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) which said that it had the technology to build inter-continental ballistic missiles (ICBM) that could extend nuclear-armed India's reach even beyond Asia. For some India harbours a secret ambition to develop an ICBM that could reach the United States.

“We have achieved the capability to make missiles with a range of 5,500km but the decision to develop an ICBM has to be taken by the political leadership,â€