K-6 is an intercontinental submarine-launched ballistic missile under development by the Defence Research and Development Organisation of India. The missile has a planned range of around 10,000 to 12,000 kilometres.[1]
| K-6 | |
|---|---|
| Type | SLBM |
| Place of origin | India |
| Service history | |
| In service | Under development |
| Production history | |
| Designer | Defence Research and Development Organisation |
| Specifications | |
| Length | >12 m (39 ft) |
| Diameter | >2 m (6.6 ft) |
| Warhead | 3,000 kg (6,600 lb) MIRVed nuclear war-head |
| Engine | Solid-fuelled |
Operational range | 8,000 to 12,000 km (5,000 to 7,500 mi) |
Launch platform | S5-class submarine |
Requirement
editAdmiral Arun Prakash wrote in 2018 that the missile range of the Arihant-class submarines is not sufficient to target potential adversaries of India; a missile with a range of around 6,000-8,000 kilometres[2] would be required for this task to be performed by a submarine patrolling in a "safe haven".[3]
When the missile payload limitations of the Arihant-class were realised, India began developing the S5-class of submarines and the K-6 ballistic missiles.[1] The developmental work for these missiles started in February 2017 at the Advanced Naval Systems Laboratory of the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), with a completion target of less than ten years.[1]
Description
editThe K-6 is an intercontinental submarine-launched ballistic missile.[4][5] It is a three-stage missile and is solid fuelled. It is planned to armed with multiple independently targetable reentry vehicles and will have a range of around 8,000 to 12,000 kilometres with a three-tonne payload. It has a planned length of over 12 metres and a diameter of over 2 metres.[1]
Development
editThe K-6 is being developed by the Advanced Naval Systems Laboratory of (DRDO) since 2017.[1] Testing of the K-5 missile will assist in developing the K-6.[6]
See also
edit
References
edit- ^ a b c d e Unnithan, Sandeep (10 December 2017). "A peek into India's top secret and costliest defence project, nuclear submarines". India Today. Archived from the original on 20 April 2019. Retrieved 22 October 2019.
- ^ "Agni VI, ISRO and Radio Silence on India's 10,000 KM Range ICBM". 17 November 2022.
- ^ Prakash, Arun (7 November 2018). "The significance of Arihant". The Indian Express. Archived from the original on 10 September 2019. Retrieved 22 October 2019.
- ^ "Nuclear submarine INS Arihant completes patrol, country's N-triad operational". The Times of India. 5 November 2018. Retrieved 22 October 2019.
- ^ Gady, Franz-Stefan (13 December 2017). "India Launches Second Ballistic Missile Sub". The Diplomat. Retrieved 22 October 2019.
- ^ "DRDO on long range Pralay, K5 to stalemate China soon". The New Indian Express. 15 December 2018. Archived from the original on 3 April 2019. Retrieved 22 October 2019.