The test flight of India’s nuclear-capable ‘Nirbhay’ long-range subsonic tactical cruise missile, launched from the Integrated Test Range (ITR) at Chandipur in Odisha, was aborted nearly 12 minutes after lift-off. The missile took off from a specially-designed launcher at launch complex-3 of ITR. All initial critical operations such as booster ignition, booster separation, wing deployment and engine start were successfully executed and Nirbhay reached the desired cruise altitude.
During 700 seconds of flight all the subsystems of Nirbhay cruise Missile functioned satisfactorily and met all the desired functions. The mission was aborted after 700 seconds of flight. Powered by a solid rocket motor booster, the missile has a strike range of more than 1000km. Nirbhay missile, with a turbofan engine, is guided by a highly-advanced inertial navigation system
The 1000 kilometer class cruise missile, capabile of striking deep into the enemy territory, has been designed and developed by Defence Research and Development Organisation at it’s aeronautics R&D laboratory ADE (Aeronautical Development Establishment) based in Bengaluru.
The maiden test flight of Nirbhay on March 12, 2013 also had to be terminated midway for safety reasons due to malfunction of a component. However, the second launch on October 17, 2014 was fully successful.
Did You Know?
- A Subsonic Cruise Missile flies at a speed lesser than than of sound. It travels at a speed of around 0.8 Mach.
- A Supersonic Cruise Missile travels at a speed of around 2-3 Mach. It travels a kilometre approximately in a second. BRAHMOS is the only known Supersonic Cruise Missile in service.
- A Hypersonic Cruise Missile travels at a speed of more than 5 Mach. BRAHMOS II, which is under development, would fly at a speed greater than 5 Mach.
