India's Military Achievements in 2013

[Robinhood Pandey]

The year 2013 is all set to end with a high note for India and its Armed Forces. Defence, Indian Defence, Indian Armed Forces, Defence News, India Defence News, Indian Defence News, Indian Army, Indian Navy, Indian Air Force, International Defence News takes a look at the overall achievements of our hard working scientists, engineers and dedication of our brave soldiers towards our motherland.


January 2013 :
K-15 / SAGARIKA MISSILE - 2013 began with a bang for India when it successfully tested the not so secret K-15 missile from an underwater platform. India gate crashed into a select group of elite countries that could fire ballistic missiles from under water submarines. The K-15 Sagarika is a nuclear-capable submarine-launched ballistic missile with a range of 700 kilometres. It belongs to the K Missile family and forms a part of India's nuclear triad, and will provide retaliatory nuclear strike.



March 2013 :
BRAHMOS SLCM - The DRDO also tested the BrahMos super-sonic cruise missile from an under water pontoon. This strenghtened India's ability to not only launch ballistic missiles like the K-15 from submerged platforms but also cruise Missiles like the BrahMos.

NIRBHAY CRUISE MISSILE - The month of March also saw a downturn in the RnD of new weapon systems. The medium-range, sub-sonic cruise missile 'Nirbhay' failed to hit its target during the test firing and the missile was self-destructed when it steered away from its designated flight path. The test might have failed but it allowed the DRDO to validate key technologies for further development of the missile.


August 2013 :
INS ARIHANT - The month of August was one of the proudest moment in the history of the Indian Navy when the reactor of the locally built INS Arihant went critical. It started generating its own power to propel the submarine into the high seas for further tests. The next phase of the development of the nuclear submarine would be the integration of the K-15 ballistic missile and the BrahMos supersonic cruise missile.

INS VIKRANT - The launch of the indeginously built 40,000 tonne aircraft carrier INS Vikrant grabbed international headlines and made India's immediate neighbours shiver in fear. The carrier is currently being fitted with both offensive and defensive weapons capability. The aircrft carrier will be ready for user trials by the year 2016.


September 2013 :
AGNI-V - The DRDO successfully conducted a test firing of the Inter Continental Ballistic Missile AGNI-V which Indian scientists claim has a range of 5500 kms. Critics however have suggested that the range of the missile is around 8000 kms. The Agni-V is expected to be operational by 2014 to 2015 after four to five repeatable tests by the DRDO. Indian authorities believe that the solid-fuelled Agni-V is more than adequate to meet current threat perceptions and security concerns. The missile will allow India to strike targets across Asia and into Europe.


November 2013 :
ARJUN CATAPULT SYSTEM - Defence, Indian Defence, Indian Armed Forces, Defence News, India Defence News, Indian Defence News, Indian Army, Indian Navy, Indian Air Force, International Defence News was the first to report the successful field trials of the Arjun Catapult system which was developed by the DRDO. It is a 130 mm canon mounted on the chassis of the Arjun Main Battle Tank. A total of 40 Catapult Guns would be inducted by the Indian army.

PRAGATI SSM - The Pragati Missile system is an export variant of the Prahar Missile and was for the first time showcased at the Seol International Aerospace and Defence Exhibition. The missile is upgraded with an advance software that greately enhances its battlefield survivability.

INS VIKRAMADITYA - The long awaited aircraft carrier INS Vikramaditya for which the entire nation was desperate had finally been commissioned into the Indian Navy on the 16th of November 2013 at a ceremony held at Severodvinsk, Russia. The aircraft carrier is currently on its way to India and is expected to touch Indian shores in the next three weeks.


December 2013 :
TEJAS LCA Fighter JET - After more than a decade of development and hundreds of test flights of the LCA fighter jet, it finally received the IOC-2 clearance to be inducted into the Indian Air Force. The IAF has placed an order for 40 LCA MK-I fighter jets while development on the MK-II begins. The MK-II version of the fighter jet is expected to be ready by 2014-15.



Defence News - India's Military Achievements in 2013