@marich01 @Speedster1 @randomradio
What we know about K5 and K6 as of now?
This is just my assumption based on info available over the years and more often than not i am mistaken, so do not take it literally or even true.
If we take the VK Saraswat sir shown slides of A5-A6 and the SLBM as a starting point (as a futuristic system in long term plan) there was absolute no mention of many versions in the SLBM part. It was just one technical outline with involved additional tech like crmc, aerospike, possible mirv etc.
So if we consider A5 and A6 (aka A5 mk2) to be our first in class true long range system beyond IRBM class sub 5k km and the gradual improvement which is very noticeable, this development can only occur if we successfully make higher dia rocket motors that are very powerful. This goes step by step, A3 gets proven, then A5 then A5 mk2 all with a 2 meter dia rocket motor, initially maraging steel made then crmc made. So it is natural to assume the naval slbm version would be A5 navalised, but it turns out k5 has 2.4-2.5m dia crmc.
This is where the slide is important, while it showed the enabling tech involved, it never revealed the rocket motor dia. So K5 can be A5 made compact with higher dia crmc or prove this 2.5m dia class motor itself and build another missile (VEDA) around it. Both are possible. Given the incremental upgrades, the next variant K6 can be either the mk2 of K5 (which you need to prove first) or another incremental upgrade with maybe a bigger dia rocket like 3 meter class. So far there is nothing on K6 while prospect of K5 itself is massive, bigger than anything we have so far.
This is where the feasibility part is important, just because we can , should drdo navalise all of A1-A5 ? it makes no sense, right? yet if we claim to have a triad of nuke delivery platform for second strike and that ability should be for all class of missiles like MRBM IRBM ICBM all, K15 and K-4 provide that option for us at mid/IRBM level. So the next ICBM class SLBM should cover our need ie no need to make more variants out of it given what we can afford. So where is the logic in developing the rumoured K6 or K8 , when the K5 itself is likely equivalent of something like R-39 or M51 type SLBM?
The other part is, if the missile is such powerful, we need a robust platform capable of launching it underwater. This platforms development can not precede or face delay wrt the missiles development by huge margin say 10-20 years ahead/behind. So if K5 is in active development , its carriers development should not be far off, unless they made S4 batch capable of K5 of course.
timesofindia.indiatimes.com
