India test-fires 1,000 km-range sub-sonic cruise missile Nirbhay
15 Apr 2019
India today successfully test-fired the sub-sonic cruise missile, 'Nirbhay', which has a strike range of 1,000 km. The all-weather missile that can be launched from multiple platforms was test-fired from the missile testing facility on the Odisha cost.
Developed by Bengaluru-based Aeronautical Development Establishment (ADE), a lab under the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), Nirbhay takes off using a solid rocket booster and after reaching the required velocity and height, it switches on a turbofan engine for further propulsion.
An MEMS-based inertial navigation system developed by Research Center Imarat (RCI) and the GPS system guides the missile, while a radio altimeter is used for height determination.
Nirbhay is equipped with a Ring Laser Gyroscope (RLG) based guidance, control and navigation system.
Measuring 6 metres in height, 0.52 metres in diameter, Nirbhay has a wing span of 2.7 metres. The weight of this missile is about 1500 kg. ), Nirbhay is capable of carrying conventional and nuclear warheads. Experts maintain that Nirbhaya can deliver 24 different types of warheads depending on mission requirements.
The missile has a loitering capability, which allows it to go round a target and perform several manoeuvres and then re-engage it successfully. The Nirbhay missile can select a target among multiple targets and then attack it. The two side wings of Nirbhay missile allows it to fly at different altitudes ranging from 100 m to 4 km above the ground. In times of need, this sub-sonic missile can also fly at low altitudes to avoid detection by enemy radar.
The Nirbhay missle will supplement the role played by Brahmos missile for the armed forces in due course of time by delivering warheads farther than Brahmos range of 450 km.