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| DRDO NAG Missile |
A war scenario in which miniaturised missiles
equipped with Precision-Guided Munitions (PGMs) are unleashed from a
mother missile to take out select enemy targets like an ammunition depot
while avoiding collateral damage.
A mother missile
acts as a “force multiplier” and to achieve the desired result, each
miniaturised missile will have a seeker to ensure its independent
motion, irrespective of the mother missile's motion.
Seekers,
which are of two types — radio-frequency and infra-red, enable a
missile to acquire, track and home in on to the target. They are
required for all tactical missiles (less than 300 km range).
Scientists
at the Research Centre Imarat (RCI), a key laboratory of Defence
Research and Development Organisation's (DRDO) missile complex here,
have embarked on developing such seekers to eventually equip mother
missiles with smaller missiles packed with PGMs.
The
mandate of the RCI is to deliver avionic systems for all missiles,
including anti-ballistic systems and anti-aircraft missiles.
In
a bid to conduct trials without using the mother missile, a Remotely
Piloted Vehicle (RPV) has been imported to be used as a Technology
Demonstrator for the project. A flight trial was conducted at the
Integrated Test Range using the RPV along with a recoverable tow body by
providing the vehicle the same velocity of a mother missile.
Good results were obtained from that exercise, RCI Director S.K. Chaudhuri told on Sunday. More such trials would be carried out in stages to check the guidance, control and inertial navigation systems.
By
the end of 2013, a crucial trial of the RPV with missile-launched PGMs
to hit a target with both IIR (Imaging infrared) and mmW (millimteric
Wave) seekers was being planned. Later, a flight test with a mother
missile would be conducted, he said.
Another frontier
technology area in which scientists have begun work is to design and
develop ‘Low Probability of Intercept Radar Seeker' to equip anti-ship
and anti-aircraft missiles.
This seeker will enable
the missile to escape detection and jamming by enemy radars. Currently,
Russia and the U.S. have such seekers, a senior scientist said.
http://www.thehindu.com/
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