Explainer: All about hypersonic missile that India just tested and its importance
In the late hours of November 16, the dark skies at the Dr APJ Abdul Kalam Island off the coast of Odisha were lit up by the fiery plume of a jet engine as the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) conducted a successful flight trial of India’s first long-range hypersonic missile (LRHM).
Significance of the LRHM Test
The missile, designed to carry various payloads for ranges greater than 1,500 kms, put India in the group of select nations having capabilities of such critical and advanced military technologies, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said on Sunday.
The test is significant for India because it not only validates new and emerging technologies that could also have a spin-off for the civilian aerospace sector, but also opens the door for the induction of a new weapon system that could be a game-changer in any conflict due to its speed, range, precision, low response time, and small probability of being intercepted.
The LRHM and Its Strategic Importance
The LRHM is among a vast array of surface-to-surface, ballistic, and cruise missiles designed by DRDO to meet various tactical and strategic operational requirements of the Armed Forces. Its range is about the same as that of a medium-range ballistic missile like the Agni Prime that is undergoing pre-induction trials.
India’s Ongoing Hypersonic Technology Projects
According to available information, there are three hypersonic technology projects currently underway in India. The first is the BrahMos-II hypersonic missile being jointly developed by the DRDO and Russia's NPO Mashinostroyenia. It is expected to have a range of 1,500 kilometres and a speed of Mach 8.
DRDO is also engaged in developing a Hypersonic Technology Demonstrator Vehicle (HSTDV), an unmanned scramjet-powered aircraft for hypersonic flight that would be a carrier vehicle for hypersonic and long-range cruise missiles, as well as have several civilian applications, including the launching of small satellites at low cost.
The third project is being undertaken by a private firm. Called the HGV-202F, it is envisioned as a hypersonic glide vehicle with an effective range of 5,500 kms and speeds up to Mach 20-21 with a 300 kg payload.
What Are Hypersonic Missiles?
Hypersonic missiles can be termed as “super-fast” missiles with speeds between Mach 5 and Mach 25, which is up to 8 kms per second. In comparison, the Indo-Russian Brahmos cruise missile, already in service with the Armed Forces, has a speed of Mach 3 and the Nirbhay land attack cruise missile, also developed by DRDO, flies at Mach 0.9. In contrast, conventional air-to-air missiles have a speed of Mach 3-4.
While ballistic missiles also fly at hypersonic speeds, they are fundamentally different from cruise missiles. Ballistic missiles are powered by rocket engines that propel them high into outer space from where their warheads re-enter the earth’s atmosphere, following a parabolic flight path. Cruise missiles, on the other hand, though launched vertically, are powered by air-breathing scramjet engines and fly at much lower altitudes within the atmosphere, following the Earth’s curvature like an unmanned aircraft. Unlike ballistic missiles, cruise missiles can be manoeuvred and their course can be charted to avoid certain areas.
Types of Hypersonic Missiles
Hypersonic missiles are of two types: Hypersonic Glide Vehicles (HGVs) and Hypersonic Cruise Missiles. HGVs are carried to high altitude by a ballistic missile or aircraft and then released like a warhead that glides toward its target. Cruise missiles use their own scramjet engines to sustain hypersonic speeds throughout their flight. Both use onboard guidance systems to chart their flight path and terminal destination.
Strategic Military Benefits of Hypersonic Missiles
Hypersonic weapons are considered important by the military because they are extremely fast, manoeuvrable, have long ranges, and can carry various types of nuclear or conventional warheads. According to military literature, both hypersonic and ballistic missiles are well-suited to operate outside the adversaries’ “anti-access” and “area-denial” zones. Accurate, long-range, high-speed missiles can be employed early in a conflict to neutralise enemy defences to pave the way for offensive action. These would mainly be useful to strike high-value targets both on land and at sea that are well-defended and extremely time-sensitive.
Why Hypersonic Missiles Are Difficult to Defeat
Hypersonic missiles fly inside the atmosphere below the altitude where ballistic missile defences typically operate. This, coupled with their extreme speeds and manoeuvrability, makes it extremely hard to detect and intercept.
Costs and Challenges of Hypersonic Missiles
On the other hand, some western analysts suggest that hypersonic missiles could cost about one-third more to procure and deploy than ballistic missiles of the same range with manoeuvrable warheads.
The History of Hypersonic Technology
Hypersonic technology is new. It was as far back as the late 1930s that the Germans came up with Silbervogel (silver bird), a design for a liquid-propellant rocket-powered sub-orbital bomber that could reach speeds up to Mach 17-18. It however, did not proceed beyond the conceptual stage.
Global Progress in Hypersonic Technology
At present, over a dozen countries across the globe are actively engaged in work on hypersonic technology, which includes civilian use such as hypersonic passenger aircraft. So far, the United States and Russia have several types of operational hypersonic weapons, while China has unveiled several models and carried out multiple flight tests. Russia is reported to have employed hypersonic weapons in the ongoing war with Ukraine.
