India’s navy wants 100 technologies by 2031 including railguns, hypersonic weapons and lasers

The Indian Navy has finalized a plan to acquire 100 cutting-edge technologies in the next 15 years to build its war-fighting capabilities, but how realistic that will be is a million-dollar question.

The 15-year prospective plan unveiled last month calls for acquiring a range of futuristic technologies. These include naval missiles and guns, propulsion and power generation, surveillance and detection systems, torpedoes and directed energy weapons, submarines and anti-submarine warfare systems, naval aviation, network-centric warfare and combat management systems.

“By 2027, we want 200 warships and around 600 aerial assets, hypersonic and loitering missiles, and laser weapons,” said Rear Adm. Dinesh Tripathi, the Indian Navy’s assistant chief of naval staff for policy and plans.

The navy has 138 warships and submarines and about 230 aerial assets, he said.

Highest on the Indian military technology wishlist is

  • reduce foreign dependence for sensors and weapons
  • high-definition radars, sonars, infra-red seeker and electronic warfare
  • develop a high-range of hypersonic and loitering missiles
  • develop lasers and directed energy weapons
  • electromagnetic rail guns and kinetic energy projectiles
  • spaceplanes
  • autonomous advanced drones and unmanned combat vehicles that are truly autonomous
  • fusion-based power sources.

India immediately wants larger-caliber guns, 127mm and anti-missile guns (Vulcan Phalanx type), extended range and guided munitions. They will try to get foreign licenses to allow for domestic production.

India is working with Russia to develop a short range hypersonic missiles. BrahMos-II is a hypersonic cruise missile currently under joint development by Russia’s NPO Mashinostroeyenia and India’s Defence Research and Development Organisation, which have together formed BrahMos Aerospace Private Limited. It is the second of the BrahMos series of cruise missiles. The BrahMos-II is expected to have a range of 290 kilometres (180 mi; 160 nmi) and a speed of Mach 7. During the cruise stage of flight the missile will be propelled by a scramjet airbreathing jet engine. Other details, including production cost and physical dimensions of the missile, are yet to be published. It is expected to be ready for testing by 2017

BrahMos-II mockup

In 2015, India’s navy had released a Naval Indigenisation Plan (INIP) 2015-2030

The current indigenous content of the three categories of India’s warship equipment is depicted in the graph below

SOURCES – Wikipedia, Defense News, India Navy

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