Why India is developing a sub-sonic Cruise Missile while she has supersonic Brahmos? I remember Indian members ridiculing Pakistani CMs for the reason they were subsonic and claiming that supersonic CMs were better for this and that reason. Now why a reversal of the mindset? Why this revelation occurred to them that a sub-sonic CM could also be useful?
As you see here, both missiles have different requirements and inhibit different strategies.
One is supersonic/hypersonic(in development) for short ranged high valued targets.Also its costly a 2.2-3 million a piece(depending upon variants).
Though a 300 km range missile is enough to deal with pakistan by launching from border areas,it cant be used for mass scale attacking and is short legged.
Hence the need for a long ranged mass production capable variant for overhelming strikes.
For IA Nirbhay and Prithvi are the only way out.
But IAF will be getting Nirbhay on top of its Next gen ADM(with 1200km range and mach 2 speed) both these will satisfy the IAF requirement.
Even if you consider any military world wide, they simply dont rely on one sort of high/low end technologies. there needs to be parity. High end and low end.All high end? no country can afford them.All low end? not good enough.
Cruise missile force of India is pretty much good with regards to pak.
It inducted a supersonic Brahmos LACM,Hypersonic Shourya getting ready for induction, Sub-sonic Nirbhay will be readied sooner than later.
OF these Nirbhay will be used along side tube artillery(like smerch and Pinaka I/II) without out using boots on ground.
IA,IAF,IN wants to network to a much possible extent to reduce boots on ground.Which means relying on artillery and tactical missiles.This goes well with the plan of surprise attacking and quick reaction.
At the end of the day, it is only the doctrine that call for different types of weapons and systems.Brahmos was a system went into development before cold-start was formulated.
But cold-start called for much agressive firepower to choke the enemy,so that boots will be put on the ground after C3I is taken care of with long range strikes.