DRDO is getting ready to launch Agni-II Prime
The North Atlantic Treaty Organisation's (NATO) invitation to India in the first week of September to be a partner in its ballistic missile defence (BMD) programme is being analysed, according to V.K. Saraswat, Scientific Adviser to the Defence Minister.
“We are analysing the report. It is under consideration,” he said on September 30 after the successful launch of the Agni-II ballistic missile from the Wheeler Island on the Orissa coast.
India has so far conducted six interceptor missile tests as part of its quest to establish a credible shield against ballistic missiles launched from adversarial countries. Of these, five interceptor tests, including the first three in a row, were successful.
The first interceptor missile test took place in November 2006.
These six tests featured a missile launched from the Integrated Test Range (ITR) at Chandipur on the Orissa coast, mimicking the path of a ballistic missile coming from an “enemy country” and an interceptor launched from the Wheeler Island destroying the incoming missile in mid-flight.
The Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) is the author of India's BMD programme and Dr. Saraswat is the programme's architect. He is DRDO Director-General.
Ballistic clash
A top DRDO official had described an interceptor destroying an incoming ballistic missile in mid-flight as “hitting a bullet with a bullet.”
After three successful test-flights of Shourya, Prithvi-II and Agni-II missiles, all surface-to-surface missiles, on September 24, 26 and 30, the DRDO is getting ready to launch Agni-II Prime from the Wheeler Island. “The two stages of Agni-II Prime, their rocket motors and the re-entry vehicle are ready,” the DRDO Director-General said.
Tessy Thomas, Project Director, Agni-II Prime, said: “We are flying” the Agni-II Prime in the first week of November and that “everything is ready” for the launch. The two-stage missile has a range of 3,000 km.
It will lift off from a road-mobile launcher, that is, a huge truck. Ms. Thomas was confident that a problem in the control system of Agni-II Prime in its maiden flight in December 2010 would be overcome this time.
The DRDO is also busy with the maiden launch of the Agni-V ballistic missile in December. The three-stage, surface-to-surface missile can take out targets 5,000 km away.
On schedule
“Agni-V is on schedule. We will launch it as announced by the Raksha Mantri [Defence Minister A.K. Antony] by the end of this year,” said Avinash Chander, Chief Controller (Missiles and Strategic Systems), DRDO. “All the sub-systems have been tested.”
Both the Agni-II Prime and Agni-V can carry nuclear warheads.
Keywords: NATO, DRDO, missile programmes
cooperation can benefit everyone,which is proven in our sukoi manufacturing, now if we begin to think of the bygone times in relation to the rapidly changing and challenging environments we will be the loser, It is so clear that we are so far behind in defense technology,that we must grab every opportunity when presented with proper evaluation. after firing a couple of rockets we cannot pretent to be the best, it is high time to come out of this absurd ideas and be wise,not to compete with anyone but to defend ourselves if need arises.
India should not join or colloborate with NATO. Today NATO itself has internal rifts where many countries are not aligned with USA's imperialistic ambition for global dominance. To understand what has really happened geo-politically in the last 100 years, read William Engdahl's books - Full Spectrum Dominance as well as A century of wars. Full Spectrum Dominance documents the true agenda of western elites who control the US government with all relevant reference. It is controlling food, energy and the world financial system. They see Russia & China as threat to the US global dominance and are setting up BMD to get ready for first nuclear strike on Russia (Western foundations have funded all the color revolutions in ex-soviet countries). India must not be part of this group. China will not attack India unless provoked (by association with US or NATO). They have bigger problems to handle. Asians have to unite to survive other wise we will be annihilated in a nuclear war.
India should not join NATO. NATO is an organization of ex-colonial powers, who still harbor imperial ambitions. There is no role for NATO after the collapse of Soviet Union. They keep it alive and vibrant to step in when ever an opportunity is open to exploit other nations.
Indian technology is still very behind US and western technology. Even China is behind the west. All these stories about successful Agni launch etc. Who verifies them ? Even if the missile went up in the sky when fired, these are not war ready and to conduct a war or even be perceived as war ready, there is a lot lot more that needs to happen at many many different levels. I mean India does have the potential and has lots of technology pieces and knowhow and the best scientists to understand technology. But having the knowhow is very different from actually have the ability to put this all together and produce and deploy at a "war-ready" level. Have you ever heard any other country trying to buy Indian military products? No one even wants to buy a revolver which is Made in India. Nato invitation is more due to India's size, democratic nature, liberal and pro western people. Indian mindset is actually very pro western, fair, non violent. This is a good opportunity. Join NATO.
Well i believe the proposal to join or not depends on what lies in it for India. The following points must be considered before we join. 1. The Technology Trade off, meaning how much technology we share and in return receive from them. I have a viewpoint that western Missile defense has not been that successful as has India's demonstration of the concept of Missile Defense. 2. Whether joining the group lead to early deployment of such system. 3. If the status of equal partnership is not offered India must refuse to join.
4. Research facilities must be in both groups, India and NATO.
5. India can put some condition regarding some other Technology
Transfers.
Rigorous cost-benefit analysis must be made before a decision is
taken. However in any case our home program must go on simultaneously.
-Rohan
Truth is that no Ballistic Missile Defense system can hope to defend against a sustained ballistic missile strike by an enemy state. The Big-5 nations like China, Russia etc all have Multiple warhead capability for their missiles and therefore the possibility of overwhelming a BMD shield with many different warheads is almost a certainty. Most modern Russian missiles or Chinese missiles can carry upto 8 warheads and decoys. So if China launches just 10 missiles, our BMD will have to track and destroy 120 warhead like objects in space! This task becomes increasingly more impossible as China has hundreds of missiles! BMD is a technology that no nation, not even America has succeeded at developing fully to any degree of confidence. India's BMD program is meant to deal with the likelyhood of a rogue Pakistani or Chinese missile launch against India rather than a genuine nuclear strike. Co-operating with NATO might give India access to technologies like improved radars.
Let us be of our own ! With our track record, it is certain that we too can develop very crucial defense mechanisms. If America is willing, it would be worth considering a proposal for manufacturing advanced electronic components in India.
The NATO missile defence program is NATO and therefore US and Europe Centric. What will India gain from it? Will India's own progress in Missile technology be negatively impacted? Will India become dependent upon NATO for it's anti-missile defence? How will this impact India's relations with Russia, which opposes countries in it's neighbourhood, such as Ukraine, from joining the Nato anti missile defence? I wonder if it is all just posturing by India and nothing will come out of it. What has India to gain from it?
NATO has its own agenda, biases and adversaries and India does not need to join that camp and get sucked into a vortex along with it. NATO is the tool of Western foreign policy objectives and is getting embroiled in conflicts and controversial actions well outside its original North Atlantic zone. India has its own world view and interests and should act consistently with these.
Too soon to claim that. US is light years a ahead of us in many ways, in near future they will be able to wage remote wars without actually sending any soldiers in.
India must not join it.They are ideologically diffrent from us as we follow non-alignment.It will also like putting water on efforts of our brilliant scientists and engineers who at the peak of cold era despite all the sanction and hostality by western world made the country self-reliant.We have reached now at the stage where we can protect our interest without affecting our strategic interest with proven allies and breaking the path of non-alignment.The recent success by DRDO is significant and must be applauded.
Without sacrificing the domestic programme India should partner with NATO to boost it's missile defence With a powerful ballastic missile defence we can act more aggressively against pakistan . I am not an expert on how much the nuclear threat can be curtailed with the ballasic missile defence but this will be a huge psycological blow to Pakistan and it will force Pakistan to change it's behaviour as India's position will get strengthened remarkbly and India can afford to act more aggressively against pakistan in an event of pakistan's proven compliance in a terrorist act.
Touches the heart of those who believe in Indian pride. We are the best !
India joining NATO in Missile Defense is a complex issue. NATO has its own wars in Iraq, Afghanistan and other countries including Iran. NATO is an association of developed nations, with their own economic oil interests. India is a developing country and has ancient ties with Middle east and Africa. India ideally must try for an Indian Ocean Treaty with Asia, Africa and New Zealand. China shares its borders with 13 countries and it has border disputes with all of them and the risk of loss in any war are higher for China. India must obtain all defense technology denied by US, before it accepts any NATO offer.
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