List of Major Missile Systems of India

India’s indigenous missile development began in 1983 under the Integrated Guided Missile Development Programme (IGMDP), spearheaded by the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO). Over four decades, the country built a multi-layered missile arsenal covering strategic deterrence, tactical battlefield support, air defence, anti-tank operations, and standoff precision strikes across land, sea, and air domains.

Integrated Guided Missile Development Programme (IGMDP)

Historical Foundation

• Sanctioned by the Government of India in 1983 to achieve self-reliance in missile technology under the leadership of Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam.
• Formally completed in 2008 after achieving operational maturity across all five planned baseline missile platforms.

Core IGMDP Missiles

• Prithvi: Short-range surface-to-surface tactical ballistic missile.
• Agni: Intermediate to long-range strategic ballistic missile family.
• Trishul: Short-range quick-reaction surface-to-air missile.
• Akash: Medium-range surface-to-air missile system.
• Nag: Third-generation fire-and-forget anti-tank guided missile.

Surface-to-Surface Ballistic Missiles

Prithvi Series

• Prithvi-I: Single-stage, liquid-fueled tactical missile with a 150 km range and 1,000 kg payload capacity, operated by the Army.
• Prithvi-II: Single-stage liquid-propellant missile with a 250 km to 350 km range, utilized by the Air Force.
• Prithvi-III / Dhanush: Naval variant launched from surface ships, possessing a operational range of 350 km.

Agni Series

• Agni-I: Single-stage solid-fueled medium-range ballistic missile (MRBM) with a range of 700 km to 1,250 km.
• Agni-II: Two-stage solid-fueled intermediate-range ballistic missile (IRBM) with a range of 2,000 km to 3,000 km.
• Agni-III: Two-stage solid-propellant IRBM with a range of 3,500 km to 5,000 km.
• Agni-IV: Two-stage IRBM featuring advanced composite rocket motors and avionics, reaching ranges of 3,000 km to 4,000 km.
• Agni-V: Three-stage canisterised intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) capable of striking targets beyond 5,000 km.
• Agni-P (Prime): Two-stage canisterised solid-propellant tactical missile featuring composite casing and maneuvering re-entry vehicle (MaRV) technology, with a range of 1,000 km to 2,000 km.

Tactical and Short-Range Systems

• Prahaar: Solid-fueled quick-reaction tactical missile with a range of 150 km, designed to replace liquid-fueled Prithvi-I.
• Pralay: Solid-fueled short-range surface-to-surface quasi-ballistic missile with a range of 150 km to 500 km, capable of mid-air trajectory alterations.
• Shaurya: Canister-launched hypersonic surface-to-surface missile with a range of 700 km to 1,900 km, capable of speeds up to Mach 7.

Submarine-Launched Ballistic Missiles (SLBM)

K-Series Missiles

• Developed specifically to complete India’s nuclear triad through undersea strategic deterrence.
• K-15 (Sagarika): Submarine-launched short-range ballistic missile with a range of 750 km, deployed on INS Arihant class submarines.
• K-4: Intermediate-range SLBM with a range of 3,500 km, designed for deployment on INS Arighaat and subsequent SSBN platforms.
• K-5: Long-range SLBM currently under development with an intended operational reach exceeding 5,000 km.

Cruise Missile Systems

Supersonic and Subsonic Missiles

• BrahMos: Joint venture between DRDO and NPOM (Russia). Mach 2.8 supersonic cruise missile with a range of 290 km to 500 km across land, naval, submarine, and air platforms.
• Nirbhay: Subsonic long-range land-attack cruise missile propelled by a solid booster and turbojet engine, featuring loitering capability and a range of 1,000 km.
• Long-Range Land-Attack Cruise Missile (LRLACM): Indigenous long-range cruise platform developed by the Aeronautical Development Establishment for precision strikes.
• RudraM Series: Air-to-surface anti-radiation missile series designed to suppress enemy air defences (SEAD) by targeting radars and communication nodes.

Surface-to-Air Missile (SAM) Systems

Air Defence Platforms

• Akash: Medium-range mobile SAM system using ramjet propulsion and Rajendra phased-array radar, with an operational range of 25 km to 30 km.
• Akash-NG (Next Generation): Upgraded variant featuring a solid rocket motor, active RF seeker, and extended range up to 70 km.
• MR-SAM / LR-SAM (Barak-8): Medium and long-range SAM jointly developed by India and Israel, offering coverage up to 100 km.
• QRSAM: Quick Reaction Surface-to-Air Missile designed to shield mobile armored columns from low-flying aerial attacks.
• VSHORAD: Very Short Range Air Defence System utilizing an uncooled imaging infrared seeker for low-altitude aerial threats.

Air-to-Air and Special Category Missiles

Air-to-Air Missiles

• Astra Mark-I: Beyond Visual Range Air-to-Air Missile (BVRAAM) featuring solid-propellant rocket motor and active radar homing, with a range exceeding 110 km.
• Astra Mark-II: Advanced BVRAAM variant equipped with a dual-pulse solid rocket motor, targeting ranges up to 160 km.

Anti-Tank Guided Missiles (ATGM)

• Nag: Third-generation fire-and-forget ATGM equipped with an imaging infrared (IIR) seeker, launched from the NAMICA carrier.
• Helina (Dhruvastra): Air-launched variant of Nag integrated onto Dhruv advanced light helicopters.
• MPATGM: Man-Portable Anti-Tank Guided Missile featuring a top-attack capability and tandem-charge HEAT warhead.

Comprehensive Summary of Major Missile Systems

Essential Facts to Remember

• The mnemonic PANTA represents the five core IGMDP missiles: Prithvi, Agni, Nag, Trishul, and Akash.
• Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam earned the title “Missile Man of India” for directing the IGMDP project.
• BrahMos derives its name from two rivers: the Brahmaputra in India and the Moskva in Russia.
• Agni-V features Multiple Independently Targetable Re-entry Vehicle (MIRV) technology, allowing a single missile to deliver several warheads to separate locations.
• India’s Ballistic Missile Defence (BMD) programme incorporates two layers: Prithvi Air Defence (PAD) for exo-atmospheric interception and Advanced Air Defence (AAD) for endo-atmospheric interception.
• The K-series submarine-launched missiles are named after former Indian President Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam.
• Astra is the first indigenous Beyond Visual Range Air-to-Air Missile developed by DRDO for integration on Su-30MKI and Tejas fighter aircraft.