K4 Missile: India’s New Nuclear-Capable Ballistic Missile

Context:

India has recently tested its K4 missile, a submarine-launched ballistic missile (SLBM), significantly boosting its nuclear deterrence and strategic capabilities. The test, which took place in the Bay of Bengal, demonstrated India's progress in enhancing its second-strike capability and strategic defense posture.

Key Details of the K4 Missile:

• Type: Submarine-launched ballistic missile (SLBM)
• Unlike submarine-launched cruise missiles, SLBMs are capable of delivering nuclear payloads over long distances.
• Modern SLBMs often carry Multiple Independently Targetable Reentry Vehicles (MIRVs), enabling a single missile to strike multiple targets.
• Range: 3,500 kilometers
• This range allows India to target distant regions while maintaining a strategic deterrent, even from underwater platforms.
• Guidance System:
• The missile uses a combination of inertial navigation system, GPS/NavIC satellite guidance for mid-course corrections, and terrain contour matching for terminal guidance, ensuring precision and accuracy.
• Engine and Propellant:
• The missile features a two-stage solid rocket motor and utilizes solid rocket propellant, enhancing its reliability and efficiency.

• Key Feature:
• The K4 missile is an adaptation of the land-based Agni-III missile, specifically designed for launch from submarines. This is crucial for ensuring a credible second-strike option, which is vital for a nation's nuclear deterrence strategy.

Strategic Significance:

• The successful development and testing of the K4 missile enhance India’s strategic defense capabilities by providing a credible second-strike capability. This ensures that, even in the event of a nuclear attack, India can retaliate effectively from submarines, which are harder to detect and target.
• India’s Defense Research: The Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), the agency responsible for this development, plays a pivotal role in strengthening India’s defense capabilities. DRDO was established in 1958 and has since been at the forefront of India's military technology development.

This missile test marks a significant milestone in India's nuclear deterrence strategy, reinforcing its defense readiness and maintaining stability in the region.