During the military parade held in New Delhi to commemorate the 77th Republic Day, India’s Armed Forces presented their new long-range hypersonic anti-ship missile known as the LR-AShM, which has been developed by the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) with the aim of strengthening local deterrence capabilities in response to advances achieved by China and Pakistan in this field. As can be seen in the images published on official channels, the missile was displayed on a cylindrical TEL-type launcher mounted on a 12×12 chassis, providing mobility when integrated into coastal defense batteries.
According to details provided by the DRDO itself, this is a weapon capable of neutralizing targets located up to 1,500 kilometers away — far exceeding the range of the BrahMos missiles currently in service — while carrying a diverse array of warheads depending on mission requirements. Meanwhile, reports from open-source intelligence (OSINT) indicate that the missile would measure around 14 meters in length and 1.4 meters in diameter, dimensions within which each unit’s estimated weight of 20 tons would be contained.
In addition, it is known that the new LR-AShM missiles are equipped with a propulsion system based on a two-stage solid-fuel rocket motor. In terms of flight profile, the missile would also be capable of conducting its terminal phase at low altitude to complicate the task of the target’s air defenses. Furthermore, although no additional technical details have been disclosed, India states that each unit is fitted with a modern, high-precision domestically developed sensor suite, effective against both fixed and moving targets.
Moving into the realm of speculation, local reports had previously indicated that the LR-AShM would feature a hypersonic glide vehicle (HGV), implying the ability to travel part of its trajectory within the atmosphere, along with erratic maneuvers and altitude changes to evade potential interceptor missiles deployed by an adversary. However, the design shown during the parade does not appear to incorporate an HGV, but rather a high-capacity booster more akin to a ballistic missile, with large wings also visible along the body to provide greater glide range.
Supporting the latter assumption, India announced that the missile would be capable of reaching speeds of up to Mach 10, a figure that would be reduced by roughly half for most of its flight toward the target — suggesting a “skip-glide” type trajectory.
For now, beyond the technical specifics, the emergence of the LR-AShM would place India among a small group of countries that possess or are close to acquiring long-range hypersonic weapons, with China and Russia leading such developments. Moreover, New Delhi is reportedly looking to field a variant of the missile that could be integrated onto Indian Navy surface combatants, offering greater operational flexibility compared to coastal defense batteries.
Cover image: @DefProdnIndia on X
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