New Delhi: Amid the ongoing India-China stand-off in Ladakh, the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) is preparing for yet another missile test — an 800 km-range subsonic ‘Nirbhay’ cruise missile — which is likely to take place by the end of October or in early November.
This test is likely to be the last trial before the ‘Nirbhay’ missile is inducted formally into the armed forces.
Since September, the DRDO has carried out multiple missile tests. The first test was that of the Hypersonic Technology Demonstrator Vehicle (HSTDV) on 7 September, and its success paves the way for missiles that can travel at six times the speed of sound, making India the fourth country in the world after the US, China and Russia to develop such technology.
This was followed by a test of the nuclear-capable ‘Shaurya’ missile on 3 October, and the supersonic missile-assisted release of a torpedo on 5 October. The ‘Shaurya’ missile is now ready for induction into the Strategic Forces Command (SFC), which handles India’s nuclear arsenal.
In the interim, a different version of the in-service surface-to-surface supersonic cruise missile Brahmos was also tested on 30 September. The DRDO has also carried out other tests, including one for the indigenous Anti-Tank Guided Missile (ATGM), besides a host of others.
Also read: Not just Arjun, DRDO looking to get indigenous anti-tank missile on Russian T-90 tanks too
Message to China?
Asked whether the back-to-back tests were part of the messaging towards China, sources explained that some of the tests were planned for earlier but got delayed due to the Covid pandemic, while in some cases the tests were scheduled for now.
“The missile tests were held up due to the Covid pandemic, even though the labs were working round the clock. These tests show that the DRDO is back to business as usual,” a DRDO source said.
Also read: What’s a hypersonic missile India is building and how it is different from other missiles
It is undeniable that South Asia cannot afford another weaponry race among nations in the wake of recent frictional events that India has done mot recently. In the past Pakistan’s Foreign Office has rightly expressed concerns over United States’ recent approval of Integrated Air Defence Weapon System IADWS sale to India. Surely such a deal would fuel the offensive posturing of India and is likely to disturb the strategic balance in South Asia, precisely putting Pakistan into another security dilemma. Additionally, the regional dynamics do not allow any offensive state to continue with acquisition of latest weaponry and bringing an asymmetry to already volatile region.
This will further widen the strategic imbalance and stimulate the arms competition in the region which consequently impact the socio-economic development of the people on both sides of the border. No toilet facilities for 500 million Indians but the government is only focused on creating more and more weapons.
Of you can’t compete surrender as 1972 we may pardon out of putting, as far as toilets we shall handle it
Very patriotic observation. Pakistanis and Chinese like your comment.
Post me sir hmko d r d O me selection lena h sir
Grm shakha janwra post musa nagar jila kanpur nagar
Gram Post mehuti district Satna multitasking
JAI BHARAT. We lost many years due to inaction on the part of people who were in the helm of affairs. Now we are correcting these mistakes. Great.