India is amongst the most powerful militaries in the world and being surrounded by some of the most highly volatile neighbours, has pushed India into a relentless drive to modernize its forces. On the East, there is China, a nation which continuously pushes it pre-defined boundaries subjugating others opinions and on the west, there is Pakistan which has an unstable history of military dictatorship overthrowing democratically elected governments and their relentless war-mongering with India. India has been involved in skirmishes and war with both the countries since 5 decades and this has prompted India to develop an ever-ready Army, Navy and Air Force which will deal against invading forces in case of a future conflict.
Indian military equipment has been marred by Soviet-era battle machines which are now nearing obsolescence and are to be phased out. To maintain Indian supremacy as a regional power, India is now in a process of inducting new weapons and battle machines which will multiply the Indian defence capabilities manifold.
Here we will cover the Top 10 future weapons of Indian you need to know about which will establish India as a regional power and also pave way for it to become a true global power.
10. Pinaka Mk.3 :
India has been long using the Russian Smerch Multi-Barrel Rocket Launcher (MBRL). Pinaka Mk.3 will be replacing the older Smerch systems. Pinaka Mk.3 will have a range of 120kms and can carry a 250kg payload and is expected to debut before the turn of the decade. DRDO Scientist Dr S Guruprasad while speaking at DEFTECH2017 organized by Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) has listed development of Next Generation Pinaka Mark-III heavy Rocket Launcher as one of the futuristic projects initiated by DRDO.
Pinaka has been one of the most highly successful weapon systems of DRDO and Indian Army. It saw service in Kargil War where it neutralised enemy positions on mountain tops. These are highly networked rocket launchers and operate in conjunction with Weapon Locating Radars, Battlefield Surveillance radars, Unmanned Aerial Vehicles and long-range IR and Optical sighting systems which enhance their accuracy and effectiveness in combat.
After Pinaka, Pinaka Mk.2 aka the Guided Pinaka was launched which has a range of 75 km and has been equipped with a navigation, guidance, control kit and has considerably enhanced the range and accuracy of the missile.
9. New Assault Rifles and Carbines of Indian Army :
Indian Army has been long using rifles and carbines which are now nearing obsolescence. Indian Army, paramilitary and police forces have been using the World War-2 vintage Sterling Carbines which needed a good modern replacement. For this OFB-ARDE developed the Joint Venture Protective Carbine (JVPC). It is chambered for 5.56x30mm MINSAS rounds and will replace the older 9mm Sterling carbines. It is an ideal and compact weapon for Indian forces. It is effective up to 200 metres and has got many features such as Retractable butt, Low weapon recoil, Ambidextrous features, and P-Rails to mount various sights such as Reflex Sights and Passive Night Sights. It is highly accurate in the single shot and burst mode.
Indian forces have been long using the controversial INSAS rifle which has always been questioned for its reliability and firepower. INSAS have come in various variants such as 1B, 1B1. It was now decided that the 250,000 infantrymen will be equipped with foreign rifles while the 550,000 non-infantry soldiers will get Indian-made rifles which will be either INSAS Mk.1C or Ghatak Assault Rifle.
INSAS Mk.1C Assault Rifle features improved integral machined body, lower and upper receiver with machined Rails to mount various optics It is better than the existing INSAS 1b1 in terms of weight, reliability, and ergonomics and is a contemporary 5.56mm rifle.
Ghatak Assault Rifle developed indigenously by Rifle Factory Ishapore is a 7.62x39mm calibre assault rifle intended for use by Indian Armed Forces. Ghatak fills in the role of a state-of-the-art assault rifle for Indian armed forces. Chambered for 7.62x39mm rounds, it is an ideal weapon during Counter-Terrorism Operations where killing the militant at the first sight is required. Ghatak rifle by features is more advanced than AK-47 and any other AK-Model Rifle used by Indian Armed Forces. It is robust, reliable, rugged has modern accessories which makes it fit for use by Indian Armed Forces.
8. Astra Mk.2:-
The Astra Mk-2 is an advanced version of the Astra Mk-1 missile with an estimated range in excess of 100 kilometres.Astra Series of Missiles are Active Radar Homing Beyond-Visual-Range Air-to-Air Missile (
It will be the Indian equivalent to Meteor BVRAAM. The possible propulsion system for Astra Mk2 is “Dual-pulse rocket Motor“.This type propulsion provides unprecedented agility and endurance to Astra Mk.2 when compared with Mk.1 or other BVRAAM in likes of AIM120C7. The missile guidance on Astra Mk.2 will be provided by a terminal active radar-seeker and an updated mid-course internal guidance system, which locates and tracks targets. Onboard electronic counter-measures jam radar signals from enemy radar, making tracking of the missile difficult. The missile features both LOBL and LOAL capabilities. It also combines the seeker and fuse into an integrated sensor and fusing system to make room for the new motor. It will be soon the primary BVRAAM for Indian Air Force fighter jets like Su-30 MKI, Tejas, Mig-29 and others.
7. DRDO Anti-Satellite Weapon:-
DRDO has been very vocal that India has the capability and technology to develop Anti-Satellite Missiles, but not much information has been provided of any development. Media reports had hinted that Agni missile will be modified to carry out first simulated electronic test, to showcase ASAT capability and India will not ever Publicise any test if and when it will be carried out.
“Agni V gives you the boosting capability and the ‘kill vehicle’, with advanced seekers, will be able to home into the target satellite”, DRDO chief, VK Saraswat said. The defence ministry in 2010 had even drafted a 15-year “Technology Perspective and Roadmap”, which held development of ASAT weapons “for electronic or physical destruction of satellites in both LEO (2,000-km altitude above earth’s surface) and the higher geosynchronous orbit” as a thrust area in its long-term integrated perspective plan under the management of DRDO.
6. Prospina Anti-Tank Guided Missile:-
Prospina Anti-Tank Guided Missile earlier called Nag Missile is a third-generation, fire-and-forget, anti-tank guided missile developed by India’s state-owned Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) to support both mechanised infantry and airborne forces of the Indian Army. Its land version is used by a Nag missile carrier (NAMICA), which is derived from a BMP-2 tracked infantry combat vehicle while its air-launched variant called the helicopter-launched NAG (HELINA) can be fired from Dhruv advanced light helicopter (ALH) and HAL Rudra (ALH WSI) attack helicopter. It has been in tests and development stages and will soon enter service with Indian Armed Forces.
DRDO has also since 2012 been co-developing a third-generation Man Portable anti-tank guided missile along with VEM Technologies. This might complement the Prospina since Nag is not man-portable.
5. XR-SAM and QR-SAM:-
India has been reportedly developing a new long Range Surface to air missile. It will have a reported range of 250 kilometres and will be used to bridge the gap between MR-SAM (70 km) and S-400 (400 km) Air Defence System. XRSAM Air Defence Missile system might utilize same network grid deployed for Anti-Ballistic Missile Defence system and might be working as part of the large umbrella air defence network grid consisting of ABM, S-400 and XRSAM surveillance, guidance, tracking network of radars.
QR-SAM is a highly mobile air defence system which comes with 100 percent kill probability, and has the capability to neutralise aerial targets like fighter jets, cruise missiles and air to surface missiles. It can also be dubbed as the last line of defence and it will provide mobile area air defence missile cover to mechanized assets of the army. QRSAM was Test fired on June 4 this year. It uses solid-fuel propellant and has the capability to engage aircrafts at 500m/s at 20Km and 300m/s at 30km, Hovering Helicopters, UAVs and more.
4. BrahMos-2 :
BrahMos-II is a hypersonic cruise missile currently under development and is estimated to have a range of 290 km. Like the BrahMos, the range of BrahMos II has also been limited to 290 km to comply with the MTCR. With a speed of Mach 7, it will have double the speed of the current BrahMos missile, and it will be the fastest hypersonic missile in the world.
“We are working on increasing the speed of the missile in a phased manner. The current BrahMos missiles have a speed of Mach 2.8. In two years time, we would have a speed of Mach 3.5. In the next three to four years time, we would have a speed of Mach 5. Then we have to go hypersonic, which would take 7 to 10 years,” Sudhir Kumar Mishra, CEO & MD of BrahMos Aerospace Ltd. The BrahMos missile is a stealth universal supersonic cruise missile that can be launched from ships, submarines, aircraft and land-based platforms. It can be used for precision strikes to destroy targets on land and sea. It can cruise at an altitude as high as 15 km and as low as 10 meters above the ground and currently maintains a speed of more than one kilometre per second throughout the duration of its flights.
3. S-400 :
S-400 Air Defence System is remarked to be one of the best air defence systems. The S-400 is designed to fire off five different classes of missiles covering medium-range, long-range and “extreme-long-range”. This has led to the development of at least three distinct missile types in the 9M96, 48N6 and 40N6 supporting the S-400 system. The 9M96 holds a range out to 120 kilometres while the 48N6 reaches out to 250km and the 40N6 out to 400km. Missile speeds span Mach 2.3 to Mach 6.2 depending on missile type in play.
“The field evaluation trials of the Russian air defence system have been completed by the Indian Air Force in Russia and they have been quite successful. The trials were conducted on two separate occasions and it performed to the satisfaction of the users,” government sources have told.
With a tracking range of 600 km, the missile system can engage up to 36 targets simultaneously within a range of 400 km.
The missile system gives India the capability to track all Pakistani air bases while bringing the Chinese assets in Tibet in its striking range. India and Russia are likely to sign a contract soon on the sale of Russian S-400 Triumf air defence system, a senior Russian official said, describing discussions on the deal to be at a “very profound stage”.
2. Agni-6 :
Agni-6 is an Intercontinental Ballistic Missile ( ICBM ) under development by the DRDO for Indian Armed Forces. A step-ahead of earlier Agni-5, it will be equipped with –Multiple Independently Targetable Re-entry Warheads (MIRVs) which will perform evasive manoeuvres before striking its target to fool enemy air defences. Agni-VI missile is likely to carry up to 10 MIRV warheads and will have a strike range of 8,000 km to 12,000 km.
It will be a leap for India as with this, India can establish itself as a global power with a weapon which can strike anywhere in the world with a 3 tonnes nuclear warhead.
1. Ballistic Missile Defence :
With Pakistan acquiring nukes and medium-range ballistic missiles, India has always been worried about the safety of its strategic locations which might come under attack by Pakistani missiles in event of a war. India then went on with an initiative to develop and deploy a multi-layered ballistic missile defence system to protect from ballistic missile attacks.
It is the most high-priority weapon projects of India involving many companies like DRDL, ASL and HEMRL. It has two phases: Endo-Atmospheric and Exo-Atmospheric. Endo-Atmospheric phase has a twin layered air defence: Prithvi Air Defense and Advanced Air Defense. PAD will be used for high altitude interception up to 80km while AAD will be used for mid-range interception altitude up to 30km.
The exo-atmospheric phase will have AD1 and AD2 which will have the capability to engage ballistic missiles beyond 2000 kilometres. This system will be a game changer for Indian Forces which will provide it with the capability to defend itself from enemy ballistic missile attack.
NOTE: Vehicles, Submarines and Ships are not listed here. They will be featured in another article.
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