About Nirbhay
- Nirbhay is the long range sub-sonic cruise missile.
- It is 1st indigenously developed long range cruise missile flying at low altitudes.
- It is designed and developed by Advanced Defence Establishment of DRDO.
- It will arm the army, the navy and the air force.
Features
- It flies at subsonic speeds of 0.7 mach. (speed of sound)
- It has a long range of 700 to 1000 km.
- Can fly at tree-top altitudes as low as 10 m. (now tested for 5 m)
- Capable of delivering nuclear warheads of 200-300 kg.
- It is a 2-stage solid fuelled cruise missile. As a result it has terrain-hugging capability and sea-skimming capability.
- It is a guided cruise missile with MEMS-based, inertial navigation system.
- Terrain hugging capability helps it go undetected by enemy radars.
- Capable of being launched from multiple platforms including land, sea and air.
In brief: Cruise Missiles v/s Ballistic Missiles
| Cruise Missile | Ballistic Missile |
| A cruise missile is guided towards a preset land-based target using a navigation system. | A ballistic missile is generally a projectile shot up in the atmosphere. |
| Cruise missiles are known for low altitude flight and high mobility and hence the name.
|
Ballistic missiles are launched outside the atmosphere where its warheads detach and hit the target. (uses gravity of earth and thus traces a parabolic path and hence he name) |
| Cruise missile have short ranges of 300 to 1000 km
BramHos – 290 to 450 km Nirbhay – 700 to 1000
|
Ballistic missile have long ranges upto 1000 km (ICBMs)
Agni V – 5000 km |
| Easy to intercept because of high terminal speeds. | Difficult to intercept due to high terminal speeds of 5000 m/s |
| High precision due to navigation system | Low precision |
| Cheaper and thus suitable for firing conventional warheads | Expensive and thus suitable for firing nuclear warheads. |
Section : Science & Tech
