Nirbhay

Nirbhay (lit. 'Fearless') is a long range, all-weather, subsonic, surface-to-surface cruise missile designed and developed in India by the Aeronautical Development Establishment (ADE) which is under Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO). The missile can be launched from multiple platforms and is capable of carrying conventional and nuclear warheads.

It is currently deployed in limited numbers on the Line of Actual Control (LAC) as part of India's standoff with China.

Nirbhay missiles are powered by a solid rocket booster for take off, which is developed by the Advanced Systems Laboratory (ASL). Upon reaching the required velocity and height, a turbofan engine in the missile takes over for further propulsion. The missile is guided by an inertial navigation system developed by the Research Centre Imarat (RCI) and a radio altimeter for the height determination. The missile has a ring laser gyroscope (RLG) based guidance, control and navigation system. It also has a microelectromechanical system (MEMS) based inertial navigation system (INS) along with the GPS/NavIC system. The missile has a length of 6 metres, width of 0.52 metres, a wing span of 2.7 metres and weighs about 1500 kg. It has a range of about 1500 km and is capable of delivering 24 different types of warheads depending on mission requirements between 200 and 300 kg. The missile is claimed to have sea-skimming and loitering capability, i.e., it can circle around a target and perform several manoeuvres and then re-engage it. It is also able to pick out a target and attack it among multiple targets. With two side wings, the missile is capable of flying at different altitudes ranging from 50 m to 4 km above the ground and can also fly at low altitudes (like low tree level) to avoid detection by enemy radar. It will eventually supplement the role played by the BrahMos missile for the Indian Armed Forces by delivering warheads farther than the 450 km range.

After the design was finalized, the technology required for the missile was developed. It was integrated by Research and Development Establishment (Engineers), a specialized arm of DRDO. Tata Motors has built the vehicle that is the carrier/launcher for the Nirbhay system and is based on a "high mobility, all-terrain and all-wheel drive Tata LPTA 5252-12×12 vehicle", developed in partnership with DRDO. The aerodynamic characterization research was conducted at the National Aerospace Laboratories' 1.2m Trisonic Wind Tunnel Facility.

DRDO announced the completion of the Nirbhay cruise missile development project on 6 February 2023 after completing six developmental trials. The next phase of tests will happen from April 2020 under the Indigenous Technology Cruise Missile (ITCM) programme. It will include Small Turbo Fan Engine (STFE) developed by Gas Turbine Research Establishment (GTRE) and a radio-frequency (RF) seeker from Research Centre Imarat (RCI). A separate air-launched variant and submarine-launched variant is under active development.

The standard Nirbhay subsonic cruise missile is powered by a Russian NPO Saturn 36MT engine.

The Indigenous Technology Cruise Missile, abbreviated as ITCM, is based on Nirbhay missile but uses locally developed Small Turbo Fan Engine (STFE), also known as Manik Engine from Gas Turbine Research Establishment. The ITCM is a technology demonstrator programme to validate the capability of STFE, upgraded radio frequency (RF) seekers, and other subsystems. The main objective of this programme to achieve 100% indigenous contents in the cruise missile.

The Long Range-Land Attack Cruise Missile, abbreviated as LR-LACM, is a longer range variant of the Nirbhay with a range up to 1,500 km. As its primary user, the Indian Navy is collaborating with the Indian Air Force in design, development, and acquisition of LR-LACM systems and associated equipment. Upon completion of development, both branches of the military would operate this missile. It would be compatible with the Universal Vertical Launch Module (UVLM) cells used for BrahMos used by the Navy on frontline waships. It will weigh about one tonne, have a length of 6 m and diameter of 0.52 m. The missile is designed to have two tapering-chord fold-out wings with a span of 2.7 m. The missile would be equipped with Manik engine, upgraded radio frequency (RF) seekers, and other subsystems.