DRDO successfully test-fires sub-sonic cruise missile 'Nirbhay'

17 Oct 2014

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The Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) today successfully test-fired the indigenously developed sub-sonic cruise missile 'Nirbhay' from the Integrated Test Range at Chandipur in Orissa.

The test-firing that took place at 10:10 am today is the second developmental test-firing of the state-of-the-art missile, which has a striking range of 700 km. The missile was test-fired for the first time on 12 March 2013 from the same base. However, "the flight had to be terminated mid-way, as deviations were observed from its intended course," said an official.

Nirbhay (which means fearless) is very manoeuvrable and can fly at tree-top level, making it difficult to detect on radar, and can strike targets more than 700 km away. It is capable of carrying nuclear warheads.

Nrbhay is an altogether different kind of missile. It has a wing and pronounced tail fins. The missile launches like a rocket and in early flight its small wings are deployed, making it fly like an aircraft and even hover near the target, striking at will from any direction.

It uses a gas turbine engine on its horizontal flights when it flies like an aircraft.

The Nirbhay is very maneuverable and can fly at tree-top level making it difficult to detect on radar. The missile has a fire-and-forget system that cannot be jammed. 

Nirbhay has the capability of carrying out strikes at different ranges from various platforms and is very low-cost. It can be launched from a mobile launcher.

Nirbhay has good loitering capability, good control and guidance, high degree of accuracy in terms of impact and very good stealth features, DRDO officials said.

India has the capability to make ballistic missiles and has made tactical missiles of different capacity. But it had not yet mastered a cruise missile technology and DRDO scientists have worked very hard on the Nirbhay.  

Nirbhay is on par with America's Tomahawk and Pakistan's Babur.

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