Agni-IV, India's latest nuclear-capable strategic missile, will be showcased to the public for the first time as part of the static display atop a tableau that its developer, the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), will be fielding during this year's Republic Day parade Thursday.
The contingent, led by Lt. Col. V.S. Thapa, will also have its new tactical battlefield support high-speed missile Prahar and the medium altitude long endurance unmanned aerial vehicle Rustom-I, DRDO spokesperson Ravi Kumar Gupta said here Monday.
Agni-IV, the most potent and technologically advanced in India’s arsenal, adds a new dimension to country’s capabilities in terms of strategic deterrence for peace and security.
Capable of being sent aloft from a self-contained road mobile launcher from anywhere in the country, the two-stage surface-to-surface missile with solid-propulsion can reach targets 3,500 km away.
A quantum leap in indigenous technology, Agni-IV incorporates a composite rocket motor casing, a highly accurate guidance and navigation system, modern and compact avionics, digital control system and many other contemporary and advanced technologies making it comparable to the best in the world.
The Prahaar missile is "an another marvel of technology" recently developed by DRDO, Gupta said, noting that it is a tactical battlefield support missile based on solid fuel propulsion and is equipped with high precision inertial navigation system, giving it capability to hit targets around 150 km away with pin-point accuracy.
The missile is mounted on a road mobile launcher, carries a significant payload and can be equipped with a variety of warheads.
Each high mobility launcher carries six missiles; multiple launchers can be interlinked to deliver a near simultaneous multi-axis attack on a target with devastating effect.
Rustom-I, a medium altitude long endurance UAV, takes-off and lands like a conventional aircraft.
An outdoor pilot standing close to the runway exercises the take-off and landing of the UAV, and hands over the control to an indoor pilot, operating from the ground control station, for carrying out rest of the mission. Payload operator controls the various payloads from ground control station to capture essential video pictures and data.
Rustom-I can fly for 12 to 15 hours, at speeds up to 250 km per hour. It is intended to be used for surveillance, reconnaissance, target acquisition, fire correction and battlefield damage assessment.
The UAV is likely to be inducted in the three wings of the armed forces and internal security organisations such as the state police forces, Border Security Force, Central Reserve Police Force and Coast Guard in the near future.
The DRDO tableau will showcase the work of Snow and Avalanche Studies Establishment, with headquarters in Chandigarh, that facilitates Indian troops' in inhospitable snow-bound, avalanche-prone high altitude terrain in guarding the frontiers from enemy intrusions.
