Does Mysterious SURYA ICBM Program Alive?

• Recently A Twitter user (sarab@sarabpal_singh) has posted an image of a scale model displayed by the DRDO at a local exhibition which could be the first instance of proof of the existence of the 90’s  Mysterious Surya Intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) .
• According to a 1995 report published in The Nonproliferation Review, Surya (meaning the Sun in Sanskrit and many Indian languages) is the codename for one of the Intercontinental ballistic missiles that India is reported to be developing.
• The DRDO is believed to have begun the project in 1994. This report has not been confirmed by any other sources until 2010. Officials of the Indian government have not confirmed the existence of the project
• The Surya is speculated to have a range between 12,000 to 16,000 kilometers
• According to a 2013 report by The New Indian Express, Surya missile is being developed confidentiality under the code-name of Agni-VI.
• Well DRDO or Indian Government never confirmed or denied the existence of such ICBM but the Surya ICBM due to media coverage attended mythical status even though over the years Agni missile family created long-range missile which was capable of hitting both target deep in Pakistan and China.

Our Opinion:

•  In our opinion scale model as seen in the picture, looks like a three-stage rocket and it looks like the scaled model of Surya was that of a submarine-launched ballistic missile (SLBM) but  without any exact specifications it is too much speculation.
• opr ,may be DRDO working on Agni 6 ICBM under the name of SURYA. but it just a scale model and at last it still just a speculation and no one can say confirmly until DRDO officials reveal anything about it.

Does India really need Surya ICBM or Agni-6?

India needs an ICBM that can reach every major country on the planet; that is, a missile with a range of at least 12,000 kilometre. We should not fear US and Europe as our economy is growing at 7-8% they will not put restriction on us as they also want access to larger market.

Now there are many people on the other side of the debate who question whether ICBMs are such a big deal. Their reasoning is that India’s furthest rival is China so there’s no need for a missile that travels further than that country. Plus, they argue, the US and Europe aren’t inimical to India so why provoke their ire by developing missiles that could potentially target these benign fellows?

Such thinking ignores a basic precept of defence – a nation must forever wage peace but keep its powder dry. ICBMs are strategic weapons and without a global-range missile, India will be unable to break out of its regional context. It’s as simple as that.

The ICBM is the doomsday weapon that separates the men from the boys in the global slugfest. While it is true that economic strength plays a key role in shaping international power equations, strategic missiles alone can guarantee fail-safe national security. As the Federation of American Scientists says, “Regardless of the origin of a conflict, a country may involve the entire world simply by threatening to spread the war with an ICBM.”

The supposedly horrendous cost of building and maintaining ICBMs is also touted as a reason why nations should avoid them. However, for decades China has strutted on the global stage on the strength of just 20 silo-based ICBMs. Today, of course, it has nuclear armed submarines and road mobile ICBMs, but those 20 venerable missiles have given it strategic parity with the US and Russia who both possess hundreds of missiles.

Clearly, strategic missiles are one reason (the other being the permanent seat at the U N Security Council) why regional chipmunks like France and Britain continue to talk big whereas Germany and Japan despite their massive economies remain fringe players. Without a credible ICBM force, India will be looked upon as nothing more than a subcontinental bully – a country that aspires to play hardball with the giants but ends up relegated to the minor league.

Source:- DefenceXP