What is the Nirbhay Cruise Missile?

Nov. 16, 2023

The Indian armed forces will be inducting the long-range attack cruise missile Nirbhay into their inventory to strike targets at ranges over 1,000 km.

About Nirbhay Cruise Missile:

It is a long-range sub-sonic cruise missile.
It is India’s first indigenously-produced cruise missile.
The missile was developed by the Bengaluru-based Aeronautical Development Establishment, a lab under India's Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO).
It is capable of deep penetration into adversary territory to strike high-value targets with precision.
Features:
- The Nirbhay measures 6.0 m in length, 0.5 m in body diameter, and weighs 1,500-1,600 kg at launch.
- It can strike land targets at a distance of up to 1,000 kilometres.
- It uses a solid propellant booster motor that is jettisoned shortly after launch, switching over to a turbojet engine.
- It is capable of loitering and cruising at Mach 0.7 (sub-sonic) at altitudes as low as 100 metres.
- It can be armed with a 200-300 kilogram warhead. It can carry both conventional and nuclear warheads.
- It can be launched from multiple platforms.
- It is guided by INS/GPS with an active-radar terminal seeker.