Nirbhay (lit. 'Fearless') is a long range, all-weather, subsonic cruise missile designed and developed in India by the Aeronautical Development Establishment (ADE) which is under Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO). The missile can be launched from multiple platforms and is capable of carrying conventional and nuclear warheads. It is currently deployed in limited numbers in Line of Actual Control (LAC) during standoff with China.

Design

Nirbhay is powered by a solid rocket booster for take off which is developed by Advanced Systems Laboratory (ASL). Upon reaching the required velocity and height, a turbofan engine in the missile takes over for further propulsion. The missile is guided by an inertial navigation system developed by Research Centre Imarat (RCI) and a radio altimeter for the height determination. The missile has a ring laser gyroscope (RLG) based guidance, control and navigation system. It also has a microelectromechanical system (MEMS) based inertial navigation system (INS) along with the GPS/NavIC system. The missile has a length of 6 metres, width of 0.52 metres, a wing span of 2.7 metres and weighs about 1500 kg. It has a range of about 1500 km and is capable of delivering 24 different types of warheads depending on mission requirements between 200 and 300 kg. The missile is claimed to have sea-skimming and loitering capability, i.e., it can go round a target and perform several maneuvers and then re-engage it. It is also able to pick out a target and attack it among multiple targets. With two side wings, the missile is capable of flying at different altitudes ranging from 50 m to 4 km above the ground and can also fly at low altitudes (like low tree level) to avoid detection by enemy radar. It will eventually supplement the role played by BrahMos missile for the Indian Armed Forces by delivering warheads farther than the 450 km range. After the design was finalized, the technology required for the missile was developed. It was integrated by Research and Development Establishment (Engineers), a specialized arm of DRDO. Tata Motors has built the vehicle that is the carrier/launcher for the Nirbhay system and is based on a "high mobility, all-terrain and all-wheel drive Tata LPTA 5252-12×12 vehicle", developed in partnership with DRDO. The aerodynamic characterization research was conducted at the National Aerospace Laboratories' 1.2m Trisonic Wind Tunnel Facility.

Further Development

DRDO announced the completion of Nirbhay cruise missile development project on 6 February 2023 after completing six developmental trials. The next phase of tests will happen from April 2020 under the Indigenous Technology Cruise Missile (ITCM) programme. It will include Small Turbo Fan Engine (STFE) developed by Gas Turbine Research Establishment (GTRE) and a radio-frequency (RF) seeker from Research Centre Imarat (RCI). A separate air-launched variant and submarine-launched variant is under active development.

Variants

Base variant

The standard Nirbhay subsonic cruise missile is powered by a Russian NPO Saturn 36MT engine.

ITCM

The Indigenous Technology Cruise Missile, abbreviated as ITCM, is based on Nirbhay missile but uses locally developed Small Turbo Fan Engine (STFE), also known as Manik Engine from Gas Turbine Research Establishment. The ITCM is a technology demonstrator programme to validate the capability of STFE, upgraded radio frequency (RF) seekers, and other subsystems. The main objective of this programme to achieve 100% indigenous contents in the cruise missile.

LR-LACM

The Long Range-Land Attack Cruise Missile, abbreviated as LR-LACM, a longer range variant, will have a range up to 1,500 km. This missile would be operated by both the Indian Navy and Indian Air Force when development is complete. This missile would be compatible with the Universal Vertical Launch Module (UVLM) cells used for BrahMos used by the Navy on frontline waships. It will weigh a tonne, have a length of 6 m and diameter of 0.52 m. The missile is designed to have two tapering-chord fold-out wings with a span of 2.7 m. The missile would be equipped with Small Turbofan Engines (STFEs), upgraded radio frequency (RF) seekers, and other subsystems. The Defence Acquisition Council (DAC) approved the procurement of the missile for the Indian Army and the Indian Air Force in February 2024 and November 2023 at the cost of inr 40000000000 and inr 100000000000, respectively. The Acceptance of Necessity for the missile project has been approved by the Defence Acquisition Council (DAC), headed by the Defence Minister. The project has gained Mission Mode status. The development-cum-production partners of the missile are Bharat Electronics and Bharat Dynamics Limited. The missile was first tested on 12 November 2024.

Anti-ship variant

A report in early September 2024 suggested that a ship-launched anti-ship variant of the LR-LACM will be tested within 12-18 months. The test will conducted from the Universal Vertical Launcher Module (UVLM), which was originally developed by BrahMos Aerospace-L&T for delivering BrahMos missiles from Indian Naval Ships. This integration will reduce the changes required onboard the variety of ships which is already fitted with these launch systems. The development has begun with the testing of ITCM system for its sea-skimming capabilities in April 2024.

SLCM

The Submarine Launched Cruise Missile, abbreviated as SLCM, is the submarine-launched variant designed to launch from torpedo tubes of submarines. It is a compact version of Nirbhay missile. It has a stated range of 500 km, with a length of 5.6 meter, diameter of 0.505 meter, all up weight of 975 kg and Mach 0.7 speed. It would feature INS/GPS navigation, with an RF seeker for terminal guidance. There are plans to extend the missile's range to 800 km. During flight, SLCMs follow a low altitude trajectory. They skim close to the surface to stay out of the radar systems' altitude range. It comes with two variants: a Land attack cruise missile (LACM) and Anti-Ship Cruise Missile (ASCM). The missile shall be a part of the weapons package of Project 75(I) submarines. The missile would be tested initially on Sindhughosh-class submarines. The missile is under development trial stage.

Testing

The first test flight of the missile was planned in October 2012, but the launch was postponed to December owing to the changes being made to the launcher. V. K. Saraswat, Director General & Scientific Adviser of DRDO, later said that the missile would be tested in February 2013. He said the delay was due to development of some processes. DRDO expected the missile to be ready for induction within 12 to 18 months after the February test. There were unconfirmed media reports that the missile would be scrapped due to multiple test failures but it was then reported that the project has been given an 18-month extension, till June 2018, to fix all outstanding issues. Nirbhay cruise missile has a single shot kill ratio of above 90 percent.

Induction

Ministry of Defence (MoD) is considering a proposal from one of the service for the induction of Nirbhay and is at an advance stage of discussion. Once cleared, all the three services of Indian Armed Forces will have Nirbhay in their arsenal. The Government of India already cleared the induction of Nirbhay in two services about two years ago. The LRLACM received Acceptance of Necessity (AoN) from Defence Acquisition Council (DAC) for induction into Indian Air Force in August 2023. As of September 2024, the user trials and eventual induction of Nirbhay missiles are expected soon. Nirbhay, Pralay, Brahmos and Pinaka will become part of the Integrated Rocket Force (IRF), a separate entity from Strategic Forces Command (SFC).

Operators

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