Lethal Weapons| 2018

Jaison Deepak

Anti-ship missiles (AShM) have been the lethal choice for naval fire-power. Their use in Falklands, Yom Kippur War and 1971 Indo-Pak war to devastating effect has essentially transformed the way naval warfare has been carried out. The missiles have enabled even the smallest of boats to posses the firepower to damage or even sink large carriers.

Exocet MM40 Block 3

The Indian Navy has been at the forefront of anti-ship missile technology from the time of Operation Trident and Python with the Styx missiles to the current era of BRAHMOS. Now, the navy is procuring subsonic anti-ship missiles and improved BRAHMOS variants for aerial, surface and sub-surface platforms.

Surface Launched

The BRAHMOS, Klub and the Kh-35 are the premier anti-ship weapons on destroyers, frigate and corvettes. The BRAHMOS has been developed by Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) with Russia’s NPO Mashinostroyenia (NPOM) and produced by BrahMos Aerospace Thiruvananthapuram Limited (BATL) unit in Kerala.

BRAHMOS missile is increasingly used in vertical launch mode from the L&T-manufactured universal vertical launcher module, as opposed to the earlier inclined launcher used on the Rajput class destroyers. This ensures more ready-to-fire missiles and higher rate of fire. The BRAHMOS is continuously being improved with indigenous seeker and enhanced range which has been relaxed with the signing of the Missile Technology Control Regime (MTCR)