Catch up, fast

As Agni III, the 16-metre intermediate range ballistic missile, successfully leapt up into the sky in its test-fire last week, it marked a crucial breakthrough in India's search for an effective nuclear deterrent. The 48-tonne missile, which can carry 1.5 tonnes of nuclear or conventional warheads over 3,000 km, provides the right platform to build missiles that will travel as far as 3,500-5,500 km.

However, India is still way behind China in the nuclear weapons technology, including the warheads-delivery capability. China's inter-continental ballistic missile, Dong Feng-5, is known to have a range of over 13,000 km. Even the long-range ballistic missile Dong Feng-31, which China is reportedly preparing to induct in the army, is said to have a range of 8,000 km. However, the Agni-III technology validation seems to give India an edge, though only marginal, over Pakistan's Ghauri-III, which has a range of 2,500 km, and Haft-VI and Shaheen-II with a range of around 2,000 km. But the pace at which India is moving forward in developing missile technology seems rather leisurely when compared to the hectic testing being undertaken by both the neighbouring countries. Pakistan is understood to have conducted at least five tests""three of ballistic missiles and two of long-range cruise missiles""since the beginning of the current year. Whether Pakistan's technology is wholly indigenous or acquired from elsewhere is a different matter. In contrast, that India can claim far fewer initiatives though the indigenousness of its technology is beyond suspicion.

Of course, the total inventory of India's missile arsenal now appears a little more weighty, because it comprises a series of intermediary-range ballistic missiles ranging between 700 km and 3,500 km, the Prithvi missile system of short-range ballistic missiles ranging between 150 km and 350 km and Indo-Russian jointly developed Brahmos supersonic cruise missiles, besides the Akash medium-range surface-to-air missile and Nag anti-tank guided missile.

Now that the flaws in the Agni design that led to the fiasco of its earlier version test-fired in July 2006 have been suitably addressed and the new systems successfully tried out, the next logical step has to be the acquisition of technology for intercepting incoming missiles on the lines of that utilised in the US Patriot missile system. The first step in this direction was taken in November last, when an atmospheric hypersonic interceptor missile was successfully used to destroy an incoming Prithvi missile at an altitude of 50 km. Considering the fast-paced nuclear build-up in its vicinity, what India really needs is a multi-layered missile defence system, supported by a network of early warning sensors, command posts and anti-missile land and sea-based missile detection, interceptor and destruction system. Even though the country may run the risk of being charged with fanning the nuclear race, an adequately deterrent and protective defence capability is unavoidable in the interest of national security in the post-1998 nuclear tests era. What sets India's defence missile programme apart from those of its close neighbours is the large-scale private sector participation. In fact, even for the Agni-III project, most of the components were made by the private industry though some 20 laboratories of the Defence Research and Development Organisation were also involved in it. This is a trend that needs to be encouraged.