The Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) announced that the much awaited Sagarika has been developed and tested successfully.
DELHI: On Saturday Indian Navy finally got what it has been asking for close to two decades: a submarine-based cruise missile.
The Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) announced that the much awaited Sagarika has been developed and tested successfully and is ready for induction.
With Sagarika, India has completed the triad of India’s nuclear weapons delivery systems, the other two being Agni and Prithvi. The team responsible for the development of Sagarika was felicitated in New Delhi.
Sagarika has a range of up to 1,000 km. Sources told DNA that it has been accepted for induction by the Indian Navy. The missile is likely to be installed on the Advanced Technology Vessel (ATV).
ATV is the indigenous nuclear-powered submarine that is expected to be launched next year. Sagarika has already been tested successfully three times. With Sagarika, India now has the capability to launch missiles from land, air and sea.
Submarine-based nuclear missile are considered the most reliable for the fact that a submarine travels mostly under the sea and is hence extremely difficult to detect.
India has a no first use doctrine and so it means that the deterrence capability has to be very effective as well as reliable and Sagarika would give the military its most reliable second strike capability.
Though it was know for while that Sagarika was under development but the entire process was a closely guarded secret and so it was a big surprise when Prime Minster Manmohan Singh felicitated the defence scientists involved in the development of the cruise missile in New Delhi.
Seeking a neighbourhood of peace and prosperity, Singh said India does not wish to engage in an arms race with anyone and would continue to maintain the highest standards of non-proliferation controls.
“As a possessor of advanced technologies, we will continue to maintain the highest standards of non-proliferation controls,” he said. “With the successful demonstration of anti-ballistic missile technology, India has entered an exclusive club of countries possessing such a capability.”
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