K Missile Family
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The K family of missiles (K for 'Kalam'), is a family of
submarine-launched ballistic missile A submarine-launched ballistic missile (SLBM) is a ballistic missile capable of being launched from Ballistic missile submarine, submarines. Modern variants usually deliver multiple independently targetable reentry vehicles (MIRVs), each of which ...
s (SLBM) developed by India to boost its
second strike In nuclear strategy, a retaliatory strike or second-strike capability is a country's assured ability to respond to a nuclear attack with powerful nuclear retaliation against the attacker. To have such an ability (and to convince an opponent of its ...
abilities and thus augment its nuclear deterrence. Information about this family of missiles has mostly been kept classified. It is reported that 'K missiles' are faster, lighter and stealthier than their Agni missile counterparts. High Energy Materials Research Laboratory (HEMRL) developed a new formulation of composite propellant that is more efficient and provide greater thrust compare to Agni missile series. The objective behind the development is to make K missile family faster and lighter without compromising on operational range.


Missiles in the series



K-15 or Sagarika missile

The ''Sagarika''/K-15 missile (Sanskrit: सागरिका,
IAST The International Alphabet of Sanskrit Transliteration (IAST) is a transliteration scheme that allows the lossless romanisation of Brahmic family, Indic scripts as employed by Sanskrit and related Indic languages. It is based on a scheme that ...
:Sāgarikā, meaning ''Oceanic'') is the
SLBM A submarine-launched ballistic missile (SLBM) is a ballistic missile capable of being launched from submarines. Modern variants usually deliver multiple independently targetable reentry vehicles (MIRVs), each of which carries a nuclear warhead ...
version of the land-based Shaurya missile. With a shorter range than K-4 missiles it is to be integrated with Arihant class submarine concurrently developed for the use of
Indian Navy The Indian Navy (IN) (ISO 15919, ISO: ) is the Navy, maritime and Amphibious warfare, amphibious branch of the Indian Armed Forces. The President of India is the Supreme Commander of the Indian Navy. The Chief of the Naval Staff (India), Chief ...
. Sagarika/K-15 was developed at the
Defence Research and Development Organisation The Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) is an agency under the Department of Defence Research and Development in the Ministry of Defence of the Government of India, charged with the military's research and development, head ...
's (DRDO) missile complex in Hyderabad. The complex consists of the
Defence Research and Development Laboratory Defence Research and Development Laboratory (DRDL) is an Indian missile development laboratory, part of the Defence Research and Development Organization (DRDO). Their charter is centered on the design, development, and flight evaluation of va ...
(DRDL), the Advanced Systems Laboratory (ASL) and the
Research Centre Imarat Research Centre Imarat (RCI) is a Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) laboratory located in Hyderabad, Telangana. The lab is responsible for research and development of missile systems, Precision-guided munition, guided weapons ...
(RCI). DRDL designed and developed the missile, while the ASL provided the motors and propulsion systems. The RCI's contribution was in avionics, including control and guidance systems and inertial navigation systems. Medium range K-15 ballistic missile has a range between 700 km to 1,500 km with varying payload. This will also get help from
Indian Regional Navigation Satellite System Indian Regional Navigation Satellite System (IRNSS), with an operational name of NavIC (acronym for Navigation with Indian Constellation; also, 'sailor' or 'navigator' in Indian languages), is an autonomous regional satellite navigation syste ...
(IRNSS) to ensure guaranteed national access to precision navigation. These will enable high accuracy required for precision strike. The last development test of the missile occurred on 28 January 2013, from an underwater launch platform off the coast of Visakhapatnam.


K-4 Missile

This missile was developed after facing significant difficulties in compacting a similarly capable Agni-III to equip the INS Arihant. K-4 is an intermediate-range
submarine-launched ballistic missile A submarine-launched ballistic missile (SLBM) is a ballistic missile capable of being launched from Ballistic missile submarine, submarines. Modern variants usually deliver multiple independently targetable reentry vehicles (MIRVs), each of which ...
developed by DRDO. It is 10 meters long, weighs 20 tonnes, and can carry a 2 tonne payload up to a range of 3,500 km. INS Arihant, first of the
Arihant-class submarine The ''Arihant''-class () is a class of nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarines in service with Indian Navy. They were developed under the ''Advanced Technology Vessel'' (ATV) project to design and build nuclear-powered submarines. These ...
s, will be able to carry 4 K-4 missiles. The K-4 missile was successfully tested on 24 March 2014 from an underwater pontoon submerged 30 m deep. India successfully test fired the 3,500 km strike range nuclear-capable K-4 submarine-launched ballistic missile off the coast of Andhra Pradesh on 19 January 2020. On 24 January 2020, the final trials were carried out by DRDO in which the missile achieved the near zero circular error probability and hit the target 3,500 km away. This was carried from INS Arihant and clears all validation test. K-4 has completed all the trials and been cleared for production by the government. It will be used to arm the
Arihant-class submarine The ''Arihant''-class () is a class of nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarines in service with Indian Navy. They were developed under the ''Advanced Technology Vessel'' (ATV) project to design and build nuclear-powered submarines. These ...
and future S5-class submarine. It will greatly enhance India's nuclear doctrine as K-15 has range of 750 km and it will have the range of 3,500 km.


K-5 Missile

K-5 missile is reportedly being developed by Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) for the Indian strategic forces' underwater platforms. It will arm the future variants of
Arihant-class submarine The ''Arihant''-class () is a class of nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarines in service with Indian Navy. They were developed under the ''Advanced Technology Vessel'' (ATV) project to design and build nuclear-powered submarines. These ...
s of the
Indian Navy The Indian Navy (IN) (ISO 15919, ISO: ) is the Navy, maritime and Amphibious warfare, amphibious branch of the Indian Armed Forces. The President of India is the Supreme Commander of the Indian Navy. The Chief of the Naval Staff (India), Chief ...
. Reportedly, DRDO is in the process of developing a submarine-launched solid fuel missile with a maximum range of 5,000-6,000 kilometres. In October 2020, ''
Hindustan Times ''Hindustan Times'' is an Indian English language, English-language daily newspaper based in Delhi. It is the flagship publication of HT Media Limited, an entity controlled by the Birla family, and is owned by Shobhana Bhartia, the daughter o ...
'' reported that the missile was then in development and expected to be tested by 2022.


K-6 Missile

K-6 missile is SLBM which is reportedly under development by Defence Research and Development Organisation's (DRDO) Advanced Naval Systems Laboratory in Hyderabad. It is a three-stage solid fuel
multiple independently targetable reentry vehicle A multiple independently targetable reentry vehicle (MIRV) is an exoatmospheric ballistic missile payload containing several warheads, each capable of being aimed to hit a different target. The concept is almost invariably associated with i ...
(MIRV) capable missile with a length of 12 m, width of 2 m, payload of 2-3 tonne warhead, and a range of 6,000 to 8,000 km. It will arm the of ballistic missile submarines of the Indian Navy.


Significance

These 'K' missiles are intrinsically important for India's nuclear deterrence arsenal because they provide India with a much needed ideal and invulnerable second-strike capability stated in India's Nuclear Doctrine and thus shift the balance of power in India's favour in the Asian region.


See also

* R-29 Vysota *
R-29RM Shtil The R-29RM (, NATO reporting name SS-N-23 Skiff) was a liquid propellant, submarine-launched ballistic missile in use by the Russian Navy. It had the alternate Russian designations RSM-54 and GRAU index 3M27. It was designed to be launched fro ...
* R-29RMU Sineva * R-29RMU2 Layner *
RSM-56 Bulava The RSM-56 Bulava (, " mace", NATO reporting names SS-N-30 / SS-NX-32, GRAU index 3M30, 3K30) is a submarine-launched ballistic missile (SLBM) developed for the Russian Navy and deployed in 2019 on the new of ballistic missile nuclear submari ...
*
UGM-133 Trident II The UGM-133A Trident II, or Trident D5 is a submarine-launched ballistic missile (SLBM), built by Lockheed Martin Space in Sunnyvale, California, and deployed with the United States Navy and Royal Navy. It was first deployed in March 1990, an ...
* M45 (missile) *
M51 (missile) The M51 SLBM is a French submarine-launched ballistic missile, built by ArianeGroup, and deployed with the French Navy. Designed to replace the M45 (missile), M45 SLBM (in French terminology the MSBS – ''Mer-Sol-Balistique-Stratégique'' "Sea-gr ...
* JL-1 *
JL-2 The JL-2 (, NATO reporting name CSS-N-14) is a Chinese second-generation intercontinental-range submarine-launched ballistic missile (SLBM) deployed on the People's Liberation Army Navy's (PLAN) Type 094 submarines. It succeeds the JL-1 SLBM ...
*
Pukguksong-1 The Pukguksong-1 (), also known as KN-11 in intelligence communities outside North Korea, is a North Korean two-stage solid-fueled submarine-launched ballistic missile (SLBM) that had a complete, successful test on 24 August 2016. North Korea h ...
*
R-39 Rif The R-39 (; NATO reporting name: SS-N-20 '' Sturgeon''; bilateral arms control designation: RSM-52) was a submarine-launched ballistic missile (SLBM) that served with the Soviet Navy from its introduction in 1983 until 1991, after which it serve ...
*
R-39M R-39UTTH BarkUTTH means "Improved tactical and technical characteristics", NATO reporting name SS-NX-28, was a Russian submarine-launched ballistic missile. The missile was an upgraded version of the R-39 missile that was designed for the Typhoo ...


Notes


References


Further reading

* {{Defence Research and Development Organisation Ballistic missiles of India Intermediate-range ballistic missiles Intercontinental ballistic missiles Submarine-launched ballistic missiles