Will India field ICBMs?

[Firehorse]

India building 6,000km nuclear-capable missile

India announced major plans to increase its nuclear capabilities Wednesday, saying it was close to testing a ballistic missile capable of hitting targets up to 6,000 kilometres (3,800 miles) away.
Such a distance would nearly double the military’s current strike range, putting targets even in Europe within reach, and came one day after neighbouring Pakistan tested a nuclear capable cruise missile.
M. Natarajan, who heads the Indian government’s Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), said flight tests of Agni-IV ballistic missiles would begin within months.

An ICBM will be the next logical step. Let's say a Chinese and/or Pakistani SSBNs are known to patrol in certain remote areas of Indian/Pacific/Atlantic Oceans. Then, having ICBMs strike those would disable or take them out. Additionaly, they would enable India to be more self-reliant and independent in her defense & foreign policies.

 

[kams]

India building 6,000km nuclear-capable missile


An ICBM will be the next logical step. Let's say a Chinese and/or Pakistani SSBNs are known to patrol in certain remote areas of Indian/Pacific/Atlantic Oceans. Then, having ICBMs strike those would disable or take them out. Additionaly, they would enable India to be more self-reliant and independent in her defense & foreign policies.

Excuse me? So now notonly Pakistan has a SSBN, Indian ICBM's can be used to knock them out? Now how do you suggest India use their future ICBM's to knock out non-existant Pakistani SSBNs? :unknown

:lul

 

[dioditto]

Erm, excuse me?

Just exactly how do you knock out SSBN with nukes?

 

[ejaz007]

If India is building an ICBM then surely they mean to deploy it to project their power.
I am sure they do not wish to knoct out SSBNs with it nfloorl:

 

[funtz]

Agni -4 with 6000KM range is being worked on.
And the range extention work for most of the missiles is underway.

India should develop the long range strike capability for the SSBNs before they become operational, that might be a long way, in the last interview the chief admiral called the ATV project a technology demonstrator and gave the launching date~2009, that might mean 2015-17 might see them operational.

However a land based offensive ICBM capability will be developed, however not utilized till the need pops up, it is a very logical thing to do, just because we do not need it today doesnot mean we wont need it tomorow, its not exactly a stable world.

 

[EnigmaNZ]

Perhaps he meant that if you knew the approxiate location of an enemy submarine, you could drop a high yeild nuke in the general area to knock it out with the enormous shockwave, remembering water doesn't compress. The early asroc had a 10Kt nuke and could knockout a sub several Km away from the impact point. If the sub was a SSBN it would maybe be worth a ballastic missile to take it out.

Since when did Pakistan acquire such subs

 

[SABRE]

Perhaps he meant that if you knew the approxiate location of an enemy submarine, you could drop a high yeild nuke in the general area to knock it out with the enormous shockwave, remembering water doesn't compress. The early asroc had a 10Kt nuke and could knockout a sub several Km away from the impact point. If the sub was a SSBN it would maybe be worth a ballastic missile to take it out.

I believe there are other cheaper & safer alternatives than doing what you are saying. Lets suppose India is to do it - than look at the situation. The SSBN is in Indian waters so would India nuke its own seas? polluting it, finishing off the fishery economy, shutting down the ports, probably no flights over that sea ... etc etc. One SSBN gone but India would be nuking whole lot of things here.

This not only goes for India but every country thinking of taking such measures. & I am sure there aren't any thinking in such a manner.

In the end not to forget the "Seabed" treaty. But the treaty can be compromised when Nation is under ultimate threat. However, if a state has other means/alternatives than I think they would prefer to follow the treaty.

Since when did Pakistan acquire such subs

Pakistan Navy (PN) doesn't have a SSBN. May be he is thinking way into the future or he is counting on the capability of conventional submarine to launch nuclear capable Cruise Missiles - which to are not a feature in PN's Agosta-90B &/or Agosta-70. May be the U-212/214 will have the capability.

 

[mysterious]

Am I the only one here to think that Indian Navy's R&D doctrine is based a bit too much on 'ifs' & 'buts' rather than what the ground realities are? Pakistan has NO plans to acquire SSBNs currently or even as part of the modernization plan 2015.

 

[radiosilence]

Excuse me? So now notonly Pakistan has a SSBN, Indian ICBM's can be used to knock them out? Now how do you suggest India use their future ICBM's to knock out non-existant Pakistani SSBNs? :unknown

:lul

It was hypothetical scenario.

Let's say a Chinese and/or Pakistani SSBNs are known to patrol in certain remote areas of Indian/Pacific/Atlantic Oceans....

 

[adam-alm]

Pakistan will show what it got when India test their icbm.Dont be suprised if Pakistan got there before india.

 

[kams]

It was hypothetical scenario.

Hypothetical is stretching it a bit.. more like mythical

Am I the only one here to think that Indian Navy's R&D doctrine is based a bit too much on 'ifs' & 'buts' rather than what the ground realities are? Pakistan has NO plans to acquire SSBNs currently or even as part of the modernization plan 2015

It was a hypothetical/mythical scenario by Firehose..that article didn't mention 'Navy' anywhere.

 

[Ozzy Blizzard]

Why would india require an intercontinental capability? M/LRBM's can reach all of its strategic competitors, all of china and even russia (in the extreemly unlikely case that a nuclear exchange between those two nations becomes a reality). The only need for ICBM's would be the perceved need for the ability to strike the EU or US, and the deturrence this would provide, and how likely is that?

As for using an ICBM to hit an SSBN, in order for you to get target quality track data you would probably have to have assets close enough anyway, so you could just use a torpedo, alot cheaper and more effective. Anyway if the SSBN was in indian waters, why would you need an ICBM?

 

[radiosilence]

Hypothetical is stretching it a bit.. more like mythical

Can't be ruled out in the future however inconceivable it may seem now.

 

[nevidimka]

India's threat perception is based on CHina as always.

Also i believe if India develops an ICBM, its more of a political image. Its gives India an equal footing when it deals with the Big powers, as all Big powers have the ICBM. since India want to become a recognized Big Power in the world stage its only natural that they have it also.

It gives US something to think about the next time they send a carrier into the Indian Ocean, that this is a country thats capable of sending nukes towards New york, so lets not mess to much with it.

 

[SABRE]

Due to continues violations of the forum by INDIANBULL, I am closing down all India related Threads under my jurisdiction until action has been taken by the Admin & Supermods.

The threads would be reopened after consultations with the Admin & moderators' board.

Meanwhile it is recommended to all the members not to open any new India related thread or a clone of the older ones.

Sorry for the inconvenience.

 

[SABRE]

I have reopened other India related threads how this one would remain close it is already showing potential for India v/s Pakistan, India v/s China, India v/s China+Pakistan.
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