Nirbhay () is a long range, all-weather, subsonic, surface-to-surface cruise missile designed and developed in India by the Aeronautical Development Establishment (ADE) which is under Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO). The missile can be launched from multiple platforms and is capable of carrying conventional and nuclear warheads.
It is currently deployed in limited numbers on the Line of Actual Control (LAC) as part of India's standoff with China.
Design
Nirbhay missiles are powered by a solid rocket booster for take off, which is developed by the Advanced Systems Laboratory (ASL). Upon reaching the required velocity and height, a turbofan engine in the missile takes over for further propulsion. The missile is guided by an inertial navigation system developed by the Research Centre Imarat (RCI) and a radio altimeter for the height determination. The missile has a ring laser gyroscope (RLG) based guidance, control and navigation system. It also has a microelectromechanical system (MEMS) based inertial navigation system (INS) along with the GPS/NavIC system. The missile has a length of 6 metres, width of 0.52 metres, a wing span of 2.7 metres and weighs about 1500 kg. It has a range of about 1500 km and is capable of delivering 24 different types of warheads depending on mission requirements between 200 and 300 kg. The missile is claimed to have sea-skimming and loitering capability, i.e., it can circle around a target and perform several manoeuvres and then re-engage it. It is also able to pick out a target and attack it among multiple targets. With two side wings, the missile is capable of flying at different altitudes ranging from 50 m to 4 km above the ground and can also fly at low altitudes (like low tree level) to avoid detection by enemy radar. It will eventually supplement the role played by the BrahMos missile for the Indian Armed Forces by delivering warheads farther than the 450 km range.
After the design was finalized, the technology required for the missile was developed. It was integrated by Research and Development Establishment (Engineers), a specialized arm of DRDO. Tata Motors has built the vehicle that is the carrier/launcher for the Nirbhay system and is based on a "high mobility, all-terrain and all-wheel drive Tata LPTA 5252-12×12 vehicle", developed in partnership with DRDO. The aerodynamic characterization research was conducted at the National Aerospace Laboratories' 1.2m Trisonic Wind Tunnel Facility.
Further development DRDO announced the completion of the Nirbhay cruise missile development project on 6 February 2023 after completing six developmental trials. The next phase of tests will happen from April 2020 under the Indigenous Technology Cruise Missile (ITCM) programme. It will include Small Turbo Fan Engine (STFE) developed by Gas Turbine Research Establishment (GTRE) and a radio-frequency (RF) seeker from Research Centre Imarat (RCI). A separate air-launched variant and submarine-launched variant is under active development.
DRDO intends to increase the range to 2,500 kilometers.
Variants
Base variant The standard Nirbhay subsonic cruise missile is powered by a Russian NPO Saturn 36MT engine.
ITCM The Indigenous Technology Cruise Missile, abbreviated as ITCM, is based on Nirbhay missile but uses locally developed Small Turbo Fan Engine (STFE), also known as Manik Engine from Gas Turbine Research Establishment. The ITCM is a technology demonstrator programme to validate the capability of STFE, upgraded radio frequency (RF) seekers, and other subsystems. The main objective of this programme to achieve 100% indigenous contents in the cruise missile.
LR–LACM The Long Range–Land Attack Cruise Missile, abbreviated as the LR–LACM, is a longer range variant of the Nirbhay with a range up to 1,500 km. As its primary user, the Indian Navy is collaborating with the Indian Air Force in design, development, and acquisition of LR-LACM systems and associated equipment. Upon completion of development, both branches of the military would operate this missile. It would be compatible with the Universal Vertical Launch Module (UVLM) cells used for BrahMos used by the Navy on frontline waships. It will weigh about one tonne, have a length of 6 m and diameter of 0.52 m. The missile is designed to have two tapering-chord fold-out wings with a span of 2.7 m. The missile would be equipped with Manik engine, upgraded radio frequency (RF) seekers, and other subsystems.
The Defence Acquisition Council (DAC) approved the procurement of the missile for the Indian Army and the Indian Air Force in February 2024 and November 2023 at the cost of and , respectively.
The Acceptance of Necessity for the missile project has been approved by the Defence Acquisition Council (DAC), headed by the Defence Minister. The project has gained Mission Mode status. The development-cum-production partners of the missile are Bharat Electronics and Bharat Dynamics Limited. The missile was first tested on 12 November 2024.
Anti-ship variant A report in early September 2024 suggested that a ship-launched anti-ship variant of the LR-LACM would be tested within 12-18 months. The test will conducted from the Universal Vertical Launcher Module (UVLM), which was originally developed by BrahMos Aerospace-L&T for delivering BrahMos missiles from Indian Naval Ships. This integration will reduce the changes required onboard the variety of ships which is already fitted with these launch systems. The development has begun with the testing of ITCM system for its sea-skimming capabilities in April 2024.
SLCM The Submarine Launched Cruise Missile, abbreviated as SLCM, is the submarine-launched variant designed to launch from torpedo tubes of submarines. It is a compact version of Nirbhay missile. It has a stated range of 500 km, with a length of 5.6 meter, diameter of , all up weight of 975 kg and Mach 0.7 speed. It would feature INS/GPS navigation, with an RF seeker for terminal guidance. There are plans to extend the missile's range to 800 km. During flight, SLCMs follow a low altitude trajectory. They skim close to the surface to stay out of the radar systems' altitude range. It comes with two variants: a Land attack cruise missile (LACM) and Anti-Ship Cruise Missile (ASCM). The warhead weight is reported to be around .
It is intended to be equip the Project-75 (I) and Project 76 submarines. The missile would be tested initially on Sindhughosh-class submarines. The missile is under development trial stage and is expected to be delivered around 2028–29.
Testing The first test flight of the missile was planned in October 2012, but the launch was postponed to December owing to the changes being made to the launcher. V. K. Saraswat, Director General & Scientific Adviser of DRDO, later said that the missile would be tested in February 2013. He said the delay was due to development of some processes. DRDO expected the missile to be ready for induction within 12 to 18 months after the February test. There were unconfirmed media reports that the missile would be scrapped due to multiple test failures but it was then reported that the project has been given an 18-month extension, till June 2018, to fix all outstanding issues. Nirbhay cruise missile has a single shot kill ratio of above 90 percent. Date/Time (IST)VariantLaunch SiteDurationOutcomeImageOperatorRangeFunctionDetails12 MARCH 2013NirbhayIntegrated Test Range15 minPartial SuccessDRDO1500 kmFirst test launchThe missile in its maiden flight was supposed to hit a static target situated 1500 km away in the Bay of Bengal. Missile took off from the launch pad successfully and reached the second stage of propulsion, traveling 15 minutes through its envisaged path at a speed of 0.7 mach. After that it veered away from its trajectory forcing the command center to detach the engine from the missile midway into the flight. This was done to avoid the risk of the missile hitting the coastal areas. The missile was purposely destroyed in mid-flight. The test was a partial success as the missile took off, reached the second stage of propulsion, and traveled 30% of its range and completed most of the mission objectives, before deviating from its path. DRDO has detected the problem which was a faulty inertial navigation system and corrected the same in subsequent tests.17 OCT 2014NirbhayIntegrated Test Range1 hour and 10 minutesSuccessDRDO>1500 kmSecond test launch(Initially scheduled for February–May 2014 but later delayed until October 2014 due to cyclone Hudhud) The missile test met all the parameters & completed all 15 way-points. The missile was tracked with the help of ground-based radars and its health parameters were monitored by telemetry stations from DRDO's ITR and LRDE (Electronics & Radar Development Establishment). An Indian Air Force SEPECAT Jaguar chased the missile during its flight to capture the video of the flight.16 OCT 2015 11:38 AMNirbhayIntegrated Test Range11 minFailureDRDO128 kmThird test launchThe missile was to be tested for its low flying capability. The missile in flight was supposed to be brought down from 4800 meters to 20 meters gradually and in stages. A Su-30MKI aircraft videotaped the flight. A press release by the Ministry of Defence stated the missile was launched at 11:38 IST and all initial critical operations such as Booster ignition, Booster separation, Wing deployment and engine start were successfully executed and Nirbhay reached the desired Cruise Altitude. Although the take off was successful after repeated disruptions of countdown, the missile crashed into the Bay of Bengal 11 minutes into its flight after covering only 128 km of its 1500 km range.21 DEC 2016 11:56 AMNirbhayIntegrated Test RangeN/AFailureDRDON/AFourth test launchNo official word on the test outcome, however according to news reports this test was not successful. The booster engine in the first stage started working and lifted the missile off from its launcher. But the missile started veering dangerously towards one side in two minutes after lift-off and veered outside its safety corridor. Due to this, the test was aborted and the missile was remotely destroyed. A potential reason for the failure was described as a hardware problem with one of the missile's component.7 NOV 2017 11:20 AMNirbhayITR Launch Complex 350 minSuccessDRDO647 kmFifth test launchDuring the test, the missile traveled a distance of 647 km over a 50 minute duration, and was tracked by ground based radars and telemetry stations. This trial of the missile used a turbojet engine instead of a turbofan engine15 APR 2019NirbhayIntegrated Test RangeN/ASuccessDRDO650 kmSixth test launchThe test missile navigated way-points located at altitudes varying from 5 meters to 2.5 km. DRDO clarified that all mission objectives were met. The test also validated the terrain hugging and the sea skimming capability of the missile.