K-6 (missile)
K-6 is an intercontinental submarine-launched ballistic missile being developed by the Defence Research and Development Organisation of India. The missile has a planned range of around 6,000 kilometres.
| K-6 | |
|---|---|
| Type | SLBM |
| Place of origin | India |
| Service history | |
| In service | Under development |
| Production history | |
| Designer | Defence Research and Development Organisation |
| Specifications | |
| Length | >12 m (39 ft) |
| Diameter | >2 m (6.6 ft) |
| Warhead | 3,000 kg (6,600 lb) MIRVed nuclear war-head |
| Engine | Solid-fuelled |
Operational range | 6,000 km (3,700 mi) |
Launch platform | INS Arihant INS Arighat |
| References | [1] |
Requirement
Admiral Arun Prakash wrote in 2018 that the missile range of the Arihant-class submarines is not sufficient to target potential adversaries of India; a missile with a range of around 6,000-8,000 kilometres would be required for this task to be performed by a submarine patrolling in a "safe haven".[2]
When the missile payload limitations of the Arihant-class were realised, India began developing the S5-class of submarines and the K-6 ballistic missiles.[1] The developmental work for these missiles started in February 2017 at the Advanced Naval Systems Laboratory of DRDO, with a completion target of less than ten years.[1]
Description
The K-6 is an intercontinental submarine-launched ballistic missile.[3][4] It is a three-stage missile and is solid fuelled. It is planned to armed with multiple independently targetable reentry vehicles and will have a range of around 6,000 kilometres with a three-tonne payload. It has a planned length of over 12 metres and a diameter of over 2 metres.[1]
Development
The K-6 is being developed by the Advanced Naval Systems Laboratory of the Defence Research and Development Organisation since 2017.[1] Testing of the K-5 missile will assist in developing the K-6.[5]
References
- Unnithan, Sandeep (10 December 2017). "A peek into India's top secret and costliest defence project, nuclear submarines". India Today. Archived from the original on 20 April 2019. Retrieved 22 October 2019.
- Prakash, Arun (7 November 2018). "The significance of Arihant". The Indian Express. Archived from the original on 10 September 2019. Retrieved 22 October 2019.
- "Nuclear submarine INS Arihant completes patrol, country's N-triad operational". The Times of India. 5 November 2018. Retrieved 22 October 2019.
- Gady, Franz-Stefan (13 December 2017). "India Launches Second Ballistic Missile Sub". The Diplomat. Retrieved 22 October 2019.
- "DRDO on long range Pralay, K5 to stalemate China soon". The New Indian Express. 15 December 2018. Archived from the original on 3 April 2019. Retrieved 22 October 2019.