BrahMos, Agni, Prithvi II: Lethal Missiles India Tested This Year Amid Twin Border Threats

Year Ender 2022: India made giant strides in successfully testing a host of lethal and advanced missiles this year, ranging from ballistic to anti-tank guided missiles.

With twin threats lurking at India's northern and western borders from China and Pakistan, the country in 2022 made giant strides in successfully testing a host of lethal and advanced missiles, including the Agni V that can strike targets about 5,500 km away.

In 2022, India tested a series of anti-ship, air-defence, ballistic, cruise, air-to-air, anti-missile systems and even the capability to hit targets in space.

India also put its name in the global map, being among four nations owning an Anti-Ballistic Missile (ABM) system. India is also one of the seven countries possessing an Intercontinental Ballistic Missile (ICBM), Agni V, which can travel a minimum distance of 5,500 km.

The year also saw the government pushing towards transforming India's military into an 'Aatmanirbhar' force, equipping the armed forces with state-of-the-art weapons and technologies manufactured indigenously.

The Ministry of Defence capped the year by approving the procurement of the indigenous short-range ballistic surface-to-surface (SRBM) missile Pralay, which would be deployed along the country's borders with China and Pakistan.

The development is a move towards creating India's own Rocket Force — a concept that was envisaged by former Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) General Bipin Rawat.

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Here Are The Missiles Tested In 2022 By The Armed Forces:

Agni Series: The year saw India successfully testing several missiles under its Agni series.

In December, India successfully test fired the long-range surface-to-surface nuclear capable ballistic missile, Agni 5, which has a range of over 5,000 km. This was the ninth test-firing of the Agni 5, which was first tested in 2012. The missile can reach most cities in mainland China, including Beijing.

In November, a successful training launch of Intermediate Range Ballistic Missile, Agni 3, was carried out. Earlier, in June, Agni 4 was tested. The missile has a range of over 3,500 km

BrahMos Extended Range Version Missile: In May, India successfully fired the Extended Range Version of BrahMos missile from the Su-30 MKI fighter aircraft. The missile achieved a direct hit on the designated target in the Bay of Bengal region.

Prithvi-II: Short-Range Ballistic Missile Prithvi-II was tested in June from Chandipur, Odisha. The missile is capable of striking targets with a very high degree of precision.

Submarine Launched Ballistic Missile: INS Arihant carried out a successful launch of a Submarine-Launched Ballistic Missile (SLBM) in October. INS Arihant is presently armed with K-15 SLBM with a range of 750 km.

Helina: In April, Anti-Tank Guided Missile 'HELINA' was successfully flight tested twice at different high-altitude ranges from an indigenously-developed helicopter. The missile, which has been developed for integration with choppers, has a maximum range of 7 km. The missile system has all-weather, day, and night capability and can defeat battle tanks with conventional armour as well as explosive reactive armour.

Laser-Guided Anti-Tank Guided Missile: Indigenously-developed Laser-Guided Anti-Tank Guided Missile (ATGM) was successfully fired from battle tank Arjun in June. The ATGM comes with a High Explosive Anti-Tank (HEAT) warhead to defeat Explosive Reactive Armour (ERA) protected armoured vehicles.

Naval Anti-Ship Missile: In May, DRDO and Indian Navy successfully tested indigenously-developed Naval Anti-Ship Missile launched from a helicopter off Odisha coast. It was the first indigenous air launched anti-ship missile system for the Indian Navy.

Quick Reaction Surface-to-Air Missile: The Indian Army completed six flight-tests of the Quick Reaction Surface-to-Air Missile (QRSAM) system in 2022. The tests were conducted against high-speed aerial targets mimicking various types of threats to evaluate the capability of the weapon systems under different scenarios.

Medium-Range Surface-to-Air Missile: Two tests of the medium-range Surface-to-Air Missile were conducted in March. The weapon comprises a mobile launcher system and a multi-function radar.

Vertical Launch Short-Range Surface-to-Air Missile: Vertical Launch Short Range Surface to Air Missile (VL-SRSAM) was successfully flight-tested by DRDO and Indian Navy from a naval ship at Chandipur. The system will help the Navy neutralise various aerial threats at close ranges.

Man Portable Anti-Tank Guided Missile: In January, DRDO successfully flight tested the Man Portable Anti-Tank Guided Missile. The indigenously developed anti-tank missile is a low weight, fire and forget missile and can be launched from a portable launcher.

Autonomous Flying Wing Technology Demonstrator: In July, the maiden flight of Autonomous Flying Wing Technology Demonstrator was carried out successfully. Said to be the precursor to the future combat drones, such UAVs will be capable of launching missiles and precision-guided munitions.