India blasts into the hypersonic missile club – Asia Times
India’s ground-breaking hypersonic missile test places it among the elite group of nations with the ability to master the next-generation of weapons, a revolutionary strike capability that will transform South Asia’s geopolitical environment.
The first long-range hypersonic missile, the country’s first, was successfully tested on the ground by India’s Defense Research and Development Organization ( DRDO ), according to Naval News this month.
The Indian Armed Forces ( IAF ) has three branches using the missile, which reportedly performed successful terminal maneuvers and had a high-speed impact.
The Long Range Land Attack Cruise Missile ( LRLACM)’s maiden flight test from a mobile articulated launcher this month follows this one.
The Indian Navy’s ( IN ) currently has the most powerful missile, the supersonic BrahMos missile, along with the subsonic LRLACM, according to a report from the Naval News.
As for the hypersonic missile’s specifications, the report states it likely features a delta-winged hypersonic glide vehicle ( HGV ), offering enhanced maneuverability compared to traditional ballistic trajectories.
The LRLACM, which was developed by the Aeronautical Development Establishment of the DRDO and is capable of being launched from both ground and maritime platforms, is anticipated to have a collection of more than 1, 000 kilometers.
It notes these innovations mark important advancements in India’s weapon capabilities, providing long-range regular hit options for the American government.
A K Sachdev mentions the rationale behind India’s fast weapons program in an article from the Indian Defense Review in July 2023 that HGVs and HCMs are praised for their extreme maneuverability, low radar visibility, and ability to evade contemporary air defenses.
Sachdev says these arms, flying at lower altitudes than nuclear missiles, reduce monitoring windows, with HCMs skimming only 200 feet above the ground, making intrusion by ground-based systems nearly impossible.
He notes their capability to deliver precision strikes against strategic targets —such as command centers, fortified bunkers, or moving naval assets —at continental ranges amplifies their utility.
He adds that fast weapons can perform both, carrying either regular or nuclear warheads, giving them more flexibility in conflict escalation scenarios and enhancing their proper appeal.
This unquestionable ability to reach defenses makes for reputable retaliation, which could deter adversaries and stop a nuclear escalation.
In a June 2022 Center for Land Warfare Studies ( CLAWS ) issue brief, Rajesh Gupta mentions that India’s main objectives are to improve security and deterrence in a nuclearized neighborhood.
Gupta highlights that these weapons, with their great speed, flexibility, and accuracy, can work as important tools in India’s broader plan of “dissuasive deterrent” against China and “punitive deterrence” against Pakistan.
He claims that India hopes to prevent future dangers from adversaries ‘ growing fast army and reduce its ability to incur significant costs in the event of an uprising.
Dissuasive punishment, also known as “deterrence by denial,” involves dissuasive punishment by demonstrating a strong desire to stop an attack from achieving desired benefits.
Punishing punishment, or “deterrence by punishment”,  , involves threatening severe punishments, like nuclear increase, to increase the cost of an attack. Instead of just providing strong defense, it emphasizes more severe penalties.
Gupta claims that HCMs and HGVs are crucial for enhancing regular and nuclear weapons and preventing high-value assets from being stolen from the enemy. He makes the case that having these weapons is necessary to safeguard strategic interests and mitigate vulnerabilities posed by sophisticated army systems.
He points out that India’s investment in fast defense systems and defense mechanisms is in line with its desire to become one of the few nations with hypersonic weapons, which would allow it to establish proper parity and effectively hinder adversaries.
Granath Vanaik mentions in a 2021 Air Power blog article how China’s development of hypersonic weapons poses a major challenge to India’s strategy of deterrence and its newly developed fast weapons development efforts.
Vanaik mentions that China’s use of the DF-ZF hypersonic glide aircraft and DF-17 medium-range ballistic missile highlights its focus on avoiding innovative missile defense systems, which has repercussions for local rivals like India.
He claims that these developments shorten India’s response times, putting up a threat to its nuclear command and control systems, and raising the risk of an escalation due to ambiguities regarding the types of warheads and the intended targets. He points out that China’s advancements could cause India to lower its nuclear arsenal or adopt more aggressive strategies, increasing the risk of an unintended escalation.
Vanaik mentions that India’s limited advancements in hypersonic technology and its incomplete nuclear triad, which could lead to a costly regional arms race, are compounded by the two countries ‘ asymmetric capabilities.
In a 2021 article in the Islamabad Policy Research Institute journal, Adil Sultan and Ifta Khursheed mention that Pakistan faces significant strategic challenges as a result of India’s advancements in hypersonic weapons.
Sultan and Khursheed say that hypersonic systems, characterized by their speed, maneuverability, and ability to evade missile defenses, could enhance India’s capacity for preemptive counterforce strikes. They point out these capabilities align with India’s Cold Start Doctrine, potentially targeting Pakistan’s tactical nuclear weapons and strategic missile systems.
Such developments, they say, might compel Pakistan to adapt its Full Spectrum Deterrence posture, possibly through heightened missile alert statuses, an expansion of mobile launch platforms, or the initiation of its hypersonic program.
As Vanaik, Sultan, and Khursheed caution, these responses risk exacerbating an arms race in South Asia, undermining crisis stability, and increasing the likelihood of miscalculation.
Sultan mentions that India’s purchase of hypersonic weapons is anticipated to worsen regional unrest in a National Security Journal article from December 2021. These weapons are particularly effective against mobile ground-based missile systems, such as Pakistan’s short-range ballistic missiles ( SRBMs), which are seen as critical to deterring India’s limited warfighting strategy of proactive operations.
Sultan claims that India might want to use hypersonic weapons to launch a preemptive strike on Pakistan’s SRBMs, potentially putting pressure on Pakistan’s ability to use nuclear weapons because it is likely to carry conventional warheads. He claims that this scenario could give India a chance to start a limited conventional military conflict.
Sultan states Pakistan might feel compelled to raise the level of its SRBMs’ security, increase their numbers, and increase their mobility in order to counteract the threat of a preemptive strike. According to Sultan, these actions, alongside other countermeasures, could further destabilize the strategic balance in the region.
