Top 10 India’s Indigenous Defense Weapons

Defending India is a humongous task our Armed Forces do every second. Our Men in Uniform make this possible every second through their efforts and out of the skin hard work. To do it efficiently they need a range of equipment for which a country is not self reliant, it means letting go the hard work of our men go in vain . India realised this late, but nevertheless has made a very impressive beginning. IADN brings you a list of such systems.

10. Dhanush Howitzer

The first 155mm towed howitzer developed and manufactured by India is based on an earlier successful Bofors gun. But this gun has been upgraded with a 45 caliber gun and range extended to 38 kilometers. Capable of firing 3 rounds in 15 seconds and equipped with thermal sights this howitzer gives India a platform to work on better guns while also giving the Army some breathing space while a gun with bigger caliber is developed and it replaces the 105mm Light Field Guns.In trials it came out better by 25 percent than the bofors in parameters like range, accuracy, consistency, low and high angle of fire and shoot-and-scoot ability.

9. NAG ATGM

A third generation Fire and Forget Anti Tank Missile developed by DRDO as a part of IGMDP and produced by BDL , India ,provides India a missile which can destroy enemy tanks from land or air with modern Composite Armours. Based on Infrared Imaging and mmW active radar homing and available in helicopter launched, vehicle launched and shoulder launched varients, this provides an all round solution to Indian Army’s anti tank needs. With a single hit probability of near 77% at a range of 4 kilometers, this missile means our enemies tank will not be able to escape the battlefields unscathed.

For more details on NAG Anti tank missile 

8. Piniaka MRBL

Pinaka is a multiple rocket launcher produced in India and developed by DRDO for the Indian Army. The system has a maximum range of 40 km for Mark-I and 65 km for Mark-II and can fire a salvo of 12 HE rockets in 44 seconds, neutralising a target area of 3.9 km2. This Indian system is helping replace Indian Army its older GRAD MBRL system of soviet era. It can fire Fragmentation high explosive, Incendiary, Anti-Tank and Anti-Personnel minelettes and Anti-Tank bomblettes.

7. HAL Dhruv

Developed and Manufactured by HAL, this Multirole Utility helicopter of India also known as Advanced Light Helicopter is in service with Indian Army, Navy, Air force, Coast Guard as well as BSF other than many foreign nations where it has been exported. Powered by two Shakti Turboshafts , this chopper has a range of over 800 kilometers and service ceiling of 20,000 feets. They are serving India from Siachen to Thar in transport to Anti Armour roles and are improving day by day as new technologies and systems are introduced. They have also been used to develop two armed varients capable of firing missiles , rockets and heavy machine guns. These helicopters have proved to be rugged , rough and tough machines which have now proved themselves in various missions and operations.

 

6. Akash Missile

Akash , the Medium range surface to air missile developed in India is now paving way for Army and airforce to upgrade its air defence and that too with an Indian option. The missile system can target aircraft up to 30 km away, at altitudes up to 18,000 m.An on-board guidance system coupled with an actuator system makes the missile maneuverable up to 15g loads and a tail chase capability for end game engagement. It can neutralize aerial targets like fighter jets, cruise missiles and air-to-surface missiles as well as ballistic missiles.The heart of this missile is the Indian Rajendra PESA radar. Rajendra is a slewable passive phased array radar used for 3-D target detection, multi target tracking and multiple missile guidance under extreme hostile EW environment.It can track 64 targets in range, azimuth and height and guide eight missiles simultaneously in ripple fire mode towards four targets. Akash can fly at the speed of twice of Sound, means more than 2.5 mach speed.With the use of ramjet engines, Akash can maintain top speed at all altitudes and maneuverable in any altitudes. The entire flight can be controlled by the command control computer and the controller can order the missile self destruct in mid-air if missile was wrongly fired.
For more details on Akash Missile

5. Arjun MBT

Developed by CVRDE and DRDO, Arjun mk1 and its improved varient Mk2 are now being produced for Indian Army. It first proved itself when it outclassed T90 during comparative trails. Armed with a 120 mm Rifled Bore gun it can fire missiles , AFPSDS, HE and HEAT rounds to. Protected by Kanchan Armour and ERA it has survived direct hit be HESH and APFSDS rounds in trials by T72 tank. Powered by a 1400HP engine it can traverse length and breadth of Indian Landscape with very high mobility.

4. Risat

RISAT (Radar Imaging Satellite) is a series of Indian radar imaging reconnaissance satellites built by ISRO. They provide all-weather surveillance using synthetic aperture radars (SAR). RISAT 1 uses a C band radar while RISAT 2 uses an X band radar. They provide all-weather earth observation and surveillance capabilities to Indian Armed forces. More such satellites are in the pipeline.

3. Tejas

Designed by ADA and manufactured by HAL , Tejas a 4th generation lightweight multirole aircraft will be replacing Mig21s and Mig27s in Indian Air force service. Capable of firing BVR and WVR Air to Air missiles, air to ground missiles and guided and unguided munitions and bombs in addition capability to fire anti ship missiles, Tejas has an all round capability. Equipped with AESA , IRST and EW systems this will pack a punch much above its weight.

 

2. AGNI 5

The 5,500 Km Missile capable of delivering 1,500 kgs of conventional or nuclear warhead, it ensures India has every inch of its adversary’s territory under the cover of its strategic nuclear deterrence. Guided by Ring laser gyroscope and inertial navigation system, optionally augmented by GPS which helps the missile to attain single digit accuracy despite travelling at mach 24 at the terminal phase. With its unique capability to be transported by road or rail its capability to carry MIRVs guarantee India a second strike capability.

1. Indian Ballistic Missile Defence Shield

It is a two tired ballistic missile defence system consisting of two missile namely PAD and AAD developed and tested by India.
The Prithvi Air Defence (PAD) is an anti-ballistic missile developed to intercept incoming ballistic missiles outside the atmosphere (exo-atmospheric). Based on the Prithvi missile, PAD is a two-stage missile with a maximum interception altitude of 80 km (50 mi).Advanced Air Defence (AAD) is an anti-ballistic missile designed to intercept incoming ballistic missiles in the endo-atmosphere at an altitude of 30 km (19 mi). There is a third missile named PDV in development which will intercept targets at 150 km altitude. This missile system has an heart named Swordfish. These missile systems coupled with the Swordfish Long Range Tracking Radar gives India a capability which only 3 other nations have.Swordfish is an Indian active electronically scanned array (AESA) long-range tracking radar specifically developed to counter ballistic missile threat. It has a range of over 1000 km for an object as small as a cricket ball.