Project Kusha / Programme LRSAM / PGLRSAM

[Kitsune]

If wr wa

If we want to match THAAD or HQ19 on a ship wouldn't a navalized AD2 be enough.

AD 2 is our equivalent to SM 3 (300 km altitude class)

Our THAAD equivalent is PDV or in this case PDV NG (150 km altitude class)

 

[RationalGuy]

AD 2 is our equivalent to SM 3 (300 km altitude class)

Our THAAD equivalent is PDV or in this case PDV NG (150 km altitude class)

Fitting PDV Mk1 type into a ship is perhaps possible. PDV Mk2 can go much higher iirc, like 1,000 km.

 

[Parthu]

1. you can't just eject a burning booster (there's nothing called ejecting a booster early, its always ejected at the 1st possible chance anyways)
2. Kusha's booster fins suggest them being there for stability not maneuverability, and with the tvc alone you can not achieve the required maneuverability to shoot close range targets with such a big *censored* 6.8m long 650 kg missile
3. kusha won't be very maneuverabe in sub 40 km range if it follows a horizontal path with no high ascent phase and relies on its booster TVC (as explained above) and if it follows a vertical path with a high ascent phase it will still bleed quite a bit of horizontal range and in the end will miss quite a bit of sub 40 km area
4. As such unlike Kusha with its Moveable fins + TVC MRSAM would be more agile in this sub 40 km range
5. Can kusha M1 work in sub 40 km range absolutely, but will it be able to protect you from a supersonic AShM at those ranges absolutely not, you will need a MRSAM for that

The closer range engagements are covered by VL-SRSAM. For the ranges beyond that, M1 likely has sufficient maneuverability thanks to actuated fins + TVC. Remember that M1 wasn't originally supposed to have a booster but now it does. This is for a reason. This is because whatever closer-range envelope has been ceded by M1 will be covered by VL-SRSAM.

Besides, the booster is not an obstacle to the extent you think. As said, Aster-15 with booster manages even point-defence roles. It was intercepting sea-skimming Exocets at single-digit km ranges (7-9 km) back in the 90s:

PAAMS anti-aircraft missile system | Missilery.info

PAAMS (Principal Anti-Air Missile System) is one of the family of air defense systems created as a result of the European program FSAF (Forward Surface to Air Family of missile systems). All systems

en.missilery.info

no, it will not it has a max range of 15 km and a fligh ceiling of 6 km
View attachment 53264

They published outdated information in these Aero India-2025 slides for some reason. They even showed a slide saying Akash NG has a 30 km range but we know that has been extended to 50 km:

The posters at the expo seem to just be showing whatever was achieved up till that point instead of stating what the design goals are. There's a reason why these SAM programs (QRSAM, Akash-NG, VL-SRSAM) are spending an extended period in testing. Their full required capabilities have not been attained yet.

Per what I've heard, VL-SRSAM's updated design goals call for a <40 km range. I'm confident at least 25 km will be attained by the time it's inducted. Far as I can tell, there's a link between this and why a decision was taken to put a booster on M1.

they use aster 15 along with Aster 30, they don't replace Aster 15 with Aster 30 and ask Aster 30 to take over its role, as you were suggesting with MRSAM and Kusha M1

Actually yes. But not because of Aster-30 but because of SeaCeptor.

Now that SeaCeptor/CAMM has come in for point-defence roles, all Aster-15s are indeed being replaced with Aster-30s on British ships:

https://questions-statements.parliament.uk/written-questions/detail/2025-02-04/28537

It's a simplification, but in essence:

SeaCeptor = VLSRSAM
Aster 15 = Barak 8
Aster 30 = Kusha M1

In short, there's no role for the Aster-15 to fill anymore.

As for the Aster 15 being used in point defence even though it has a booster, may I remind you Aster 15 is tiny at 4.2 m and is very lightweight, as such it can maneuver eaisly even with the booster thanks to the TVC not at all similar to 6.8m long 650 kg Kusha M1

Weight is only half the story. What matters is, does the motor have sufficient thrust & impulse to counteract it. Kusha is on average a faster missile than Aster, despite weighing more. It's not definitive, but it sure looks like it's got the chops to mitigate its weight.

Besides, nobody is asking M1 to do the role of Aster-15. We're asking it to be Aster-30 equivalent. I used -15 as an example because you were saying having a booster stage automatically makes it useless for short(er) range interceptions, which is not necessarily the case.

VL-SRSAM will be our CAMM (which has superseded Aster-15). We only need M1 for interceptions beyond the reach of VL-SRSAM.

If carrying Barak-8/MRSAM was a necessity even after developing VL-SRSAM & Kusha M1, then frankly both the programs are useless. We would have just needed M2 & M3. But that's not how it is in reality.

i would have agreed with you here if not for the fact that our armed forces and MoD baboons are absolute penny pinchers
But like you said we'll see what happens eventually.

This is not our brand of penny-pinching. Do remember that this is the same Navy that changed the configuration of Kolkata-class DDGs after they had already started construction, in order to change the Fregat+Shtil complex to MFSTAR+Barak 8 config.

Navy cares about capability.