NEW DELHI, Jan 9: India’s missile scientists have said that the country’s indigenous missile programme is flagging and needs foreign assistance to revive it.

The embarrassing admission came amid claims by Indian analysts that Pakistan’s missile programme had proved to be more robust and surefooted than India’s. The Mail Today newspaper on Wednesday quoted the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) as announcing that it would scrap its 25-year Integrated Guided Missile Development Programme (IGMDP) by the end of this year.

“Plagued by cost overruns and repeated failures, the announcement is a virtual admission of failure,” the newspaper said. “In fact, some former chiefs of the different services said as much on hearing the news.”

Speaking of the Trishul surface-to-air missile that has now been termed a technology demonstrator, former naval chief Sushil Kumar said: “It was a national embarrassment. DRDO made fake claims for 25 years. In the 1999 Kargil conflict, the navy was vulnerable to attacks from Pakistan’s Harpoon.

“Finally the project was scrapped when the navy went in for the Israeli Barak missiles. The Prithvi’s naval variant, Dhanush, is also flawed and ill-conceived, which is being inflicted on the navy.”On the Akash missile, which was the subject of the DRDO media conference here on Tuesday, former air chief S. P. Tyagi said: “Akash was to be ready at a certain time, but it wasn’t. I had to change everything to make up for the delay.” Both missiles were part of a programme to develop indigenous weapons, which began in July 1983, with plans for Agni, Prithvi, Trishul, Akash and Nag missiles.

The IGMDP, which was aimed at achieving self-sufficiency in missile development and production, comprises five core missile programmes -- the strategic Agni ballistic missile, the tactical Prithvi ballistic missile, the Akash and Trishul surface-to-air missiles and the Nag anti-tank guided missile.

The Mail Today quoted S. Prahlada, chief of the Control Research and Development, DRDO, as saying that development and production of most of the futuristic weapon systems would henceforth be undertaken with foreign collaboration.

With regard to the nuclear-capable Agni series, comprising I and II, the newspaper quoted army sources as saying while they had been tested five times each “a handful of tests are not enough to prove a missile’s worth”.

There were different problems with other systems too.

“Pakistan has always been one step ahead of India in its missile programme,” the newspaper said, adding that Islamabad has “a much more robust missile force than India, one capable of launching nuclear weapons to any part in this country.”

Unlike Indian missiles, which were declared “inducted” after a few tests, the Pakistani projectiles have always been thoroughly tested.


http://www.dawn.com/2008/01/10/top16.htm

AS I SAID MANY TIMES EVERY ONE KNOWS ABOUT SUPERIORITY OF PAKISTAN'S MISSILE PROGRAMME OVER INDIA'S BECAUSE OF HUGE TECHNOLOGICAL, INDUSTRIAL, ACADEMIC AND ECONOMICAL ADVANTAGES THEY HAVE.


So I think India should speed up missile production like they did with Brahmos (from 30 to 50), Prithvi (13 to 20).

And go up for many new missile projects like Maitri (DRDO and MBDA), Barak-NG (DRDO and IAI/Rafael) and Brahmos hypersonic version (DRDO and NPO Mash).

I wish GoI should increase the defense budget upto 3% of GDP like Pakistan, if they want to touch Pakistan's high technology area in near future. I think our govt not taking enough step to defend the country as current programmes are not enough.

DRDO labs enhance missile expertise

One of India's most closely guarded secrets is the Guided Missile Development Programme.

Last week, there was controversy over whether the programme was shutting down.

NDTV entered inside the secret laboratories in Hyderabad to bring out an exclusive report. It's the first time that any private news channel has been allowed inside.

It has produced missiles like the Agni, which is the backbone of India's nuclear deterrent, the Prithvi short range missile, the Akash, which the Air Force found fit in tests last December, and the Nag missile, which can hit a tank four kilometers away.

The Nag is the only missile that must still pass its tests and the Army will accept it into service. The Army itself is optimistic that the Nag will pass its tests this July.

The Defence Research Development Organization says the Integrated Guided Missile Programme is closing down because four of its five missiles are successful.

''We have approvals to continue work up to December 31, 2008,'' said Dr V K Saraswat, Chief Controller, DRDO.

But outside the Integrated Guided Missile Project, launched by Dr Abdul Kalam in 1983, several other missiles have come good.

The world class Brahmos missile can sink a ship in under three minutes. It can also hit a land target with this accuracy from a distance of 300 km.

At the large number of missile development laboratories in Hyderabad, work continues on many different missile systems.

The DRDO says all this is necessary because international sanctions are still in place and every component of each of these missiles must be produced in India.

''Most of the labs working on missiles are under the banned list. We have taken it as a challenge, as an opportunity to indigenise. And that is why today, Agni has 100 per cent indigenous capability,'' said Avinash Chander, Director, Agni Missile Programme.

As Agni's reach grows sanctions will only strengthen. But Indian expertise is growing too, both in the DRDO and in Indian private companies.


http://www.ndtv.com/convergence/ndtv/story...2010:17:00%20PM

* Yawn *

Video of Agni-III launch and PAD and AAD ballistic missile defense....from above....

http://www.ndtv.com/convergence/ndtv/videopod/default.aspx

Click on "DRDO labs enhance missile expertise".....

pluto your article tells us nothing new, it just rehashes what was said earlier.

India can launch satellites into space - like they have done for Isreal this morining (21/01/20080 - see link below:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/south_asia/7199736.stm

Any country that has fully mastered missile technonlogy shud be able to launch sattelites - even Isreal can launch sattelites though its launch vehicle is not powerful enough to launch sattelites into polar orbits. We don't have any kind of launch capability. North Korea has attempted to launch sattelites in the past. Until we can launch sattelites, our claim to have devloped indigenous missile systems do not sound convincing. Missiles take decades to devlope and there are lots of test failures during the development stage - i can't remember reading any reports of our missiles ever having failed a test. Our missiles systems are better than Indias becuz we manufacture missiles based on foriegn designs.

Iran and North Korea's missile technologies are not developed by themselves fully. Otherwise it could reflect on their space programmes. Though space programme need huge and more high technologies, Israel which launched a medium range ballistic missile some days back could not put a 300 kg satellite into 600 km above earth because it was a special orbit for TECSAR to view and change direction. Its not easy, only US, EU and Russia done this before. Before, PSLV did it for Italian satellite AGILE. The core alone version (without boosters) PSLV can put low weight satellites into special orbits to meet customer's requirments as well as $$$.

Its not that pakistani missiles are overwhelmingly superior over indian missiles, yeah pakistani missile capability is quite competitive guys no doubt, and technologies should be developed by hook or crook true for any country, we are realy concerned about pakistani capability but no doubt that we are not in a panic. i think both nations have the capability to destroy each other.

its partly true in that the Indians are ahead of us in the space program, but they did have a long head start. SUPARCO has been working on an SLV at least since 1999, but its not ready yet. Soon inshallah.

but to say that North Korea and Iran lack of space program proves they did not develop their own rocket programs is nonsense. It is more likely they did not find it viable to fund a space program. IGMP and every country's space program is partially ripped off from other countries. Even the yanks ripped off the V2 rocket from Nazi germany.

Very well said. There is no country other than Nazi Germany that can claim their missile program to be 100% "independent."
However that said, after the initial work on its missile program, much of the US missile program since the 1950-60's can be called independent.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jDM4fzQb6tk

(From NDTV, 20-01-2008)

Good look at the PAD and AAD ballistic missile defense. Note the PAD's diverted thruster on the second stage (KKV) and AAD's jet vanes. Also note smokes from multiple diverted thrusters of Agni-3's RV prior to launch.

I have to agree but In cruise Missile tech we are win hands down and India is no where close to us. Please dont bring Bhramos in this since Russain threat to stop the coding really showed how independent it is.

As for Panic, well in crusie missile arena India is panicing and u cant deny it. When we first test BABUR Whole Indian armed forces was shocked and felt let down at the same time their celebration for BHRAMOS turned source since Paksitan had great edge in terms of Cruise missile.

As for other missile Its +- stuff for both side. With Agni being best India could master despite is problems with other short range missiles.

The problems arose only on foriegn sales and for mounting on third country platforms.Basically they wanted more money!
Anyway as far as the Indian armed forces are concerned, the Brahmos already stands inducted(except for he IAF)


http://www.hindu.com/2006/06/29/stories/2006062909980100.htm

http://www.outlookindia.com/pti_news.asp?id=482651

There is a crucial difference of Size between india and pak.Pak has always lacked depth,,while india stretches way to the east, pak is fairly small in depth averaging 3 to 500 kms.Pak geo area is appx 750000sq km while india is 3,200,000.
Pak targets are close together.
The Brahmos at its supersonic speed is a very grave threat to Pakistan, given its size, than the Babur is to India,in the CONVENTIONAL role.

But its small range means is its not that effective, BABUR currently has range of 700 while RAAD cant remember but its bigger than BHRAMOS.

Now to protect Brahmos Lunch u guys need to fire it well from Indian terroritory hence it would be less effective.. WHile we only need to target ur FOBs and thats abt it in terms of air war. So 700km means we can protecte the lunch and it being ground huging means less likely to be picked up.

lol it is wrong not partly true. we launched our own satellite like BADR-1 and PAKSAT-1 much better than indian. our launch vehicle capped SLV can launch satellite into orbit.

U sure abt that mate. Its first time ive heard this. LINKS.

i dont know if the launch vehicle launched how many times but i have seen a model of it at ideas.

LOL,
Bro that is just Model on which Pakistan is working since 1999 and we have seen that model. But at this moment we dont have SLV capability, well that is we dont have declared. If we can do it or not and dont reveal it than that is another story.

that mean 9 years pakistan with huge missiles (better than indian's which launch satellite so) easily developed it but might be in secret.

Well Shaheen II is two stage misile but as far as the two satelite goes Pakistan didnt lunch it, i think it was either by CHINA or RUSSIA. So atm we dont have known satelite launch capability. But never the less our missile system is highly advanced, and we showed India and the world by making BABUR.

thank you bro. babur is our best missile. best cruise missile outside US.

can we sell it to china??

Nope CHINA wont be interested beside it has its own verison beside we got hold of TWO american missile during late ninties one would wonder if chian got hold of one of them.

But they have their own and we have our won, and no Internationally its not possible since there is a limit which u cant cross, but TURKEY and Pakistan are playing some wild card and some turksih member also suggested that 2 BABURs were used aginst KURDS by TURKEY last month.

Zjoseph,

just to clarify badr B and Pak sat had foreign input in their construction, I believe Badr-b was acutally designed in Pakistan but built in the UK. not sure about Paksat.

I know that these were launched by foreign rockets, I think Badr B went up from Kazhakstan.


However space rockets are essentially the same as a multi stage missile. I
Instead of pointing it at India, we point it at space. (and then shoot down on the indians!)

but that requires a redesign to some degree. I remember reading a couple of years ago Musharraf went to SUPARCO and promised them incresed funding, as I think they were hit hard by the financial crunch after Musharrafs coup.

Inshallah we should hear some good news soon.

thank you bro. we need to grow money from our missile. turkey is our second best friend after china, we need to help them.

brother i understood you have good knowladge about defence matters so just one question about an indian missile here from the video posted by titan 1984...why smokes coming out from the nose cone of the missile!!! please help

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jDM4fzQb6tk

The days of FABs/FOBs are getting over.
With in-flight refueling aircraft with already long ranges like Su-30s operate from bases deep in India like pune or Hasimara in the east.They can come 1000s of Km from the deep south too.
Brahmos TELs are extremely small, just 8x8 trucks, and are very large in number. Pak does not have the capability off keeping a track on all of them.
As i said earlier the small size of Pak will always be a disadvantage to it, since your targets are closer to the borders.

thank you bro for informations. inshallah we will do this before india. like we did babur..