DRDO Naval AntiShip Missile (NASM-SR/MR)
- Thread starter Ashwin
- Start date
They could be reusing the TEL. For now this missile must be air launched only.
Going by the specs (I don't have the full picture), it's a one-to-one equivalent of NSM, except for the seeker where you have an AESA instead of IIR.
It will have ship launched version as well.
They are also making a land attack missile derived/variant of NASM-SR which is likely to replace Popeye currently in service.
Why do we need a new land attack missile when we already have Rudram 1?
Two-way datalinks with an IIR seeker. Lightweight, allows man-in-loop guidance, re-targeting in flight.
R1 is a completely different beast for a different application.
Different flight profile, different speed/range envelope.
Will be used against different type of targets.
The point of NSM is lower weight because its IIR seeker and smaller warhead. NASM-MR is directly comparable to Harpoon/Exocet class of missile with a new generation AESA seeker. It will have a 200+ kg warhead like Harpoon.
This successful test has proven the new turbojet engine called ATGG, which was produced by Azad Engineering.
NASM MR Brochure from Aero India 2025
Why countries develop different missile for anti ship ? I mean isn't LR-LACM can be modified for this ?(or SLCM for air to anti ship, its just weightless than 1000kg and can easily be carried by Mig-29k with 150km more range)
And design is quite different, Anti-Ship(Harpoon,NASM-MR) have 4 'x' shaped wings while LRLACM/Tomahawk have conventional 2 wings.
Is 2 wings design for anti-ship not good ? Then is SLCM or anti-ship variants of LRLACM/Tomahawk is compromise ?
This is an old limitation, no longer applicable. USA is going for an anti-ship version of Tomahawk in its new iteration now that two-way datalink through SATCOM is an option. The flight time of such a missile to its full range is over an hour and the target would've moved a significant distance in meanwhile.
LRLACM is equipped with RF seeker from get go giving it the ability to engage moving targets, the only missing piece was midcourse updates through a satellite link.
The main difference in between a land attack subsonic cruise missile and an anti-ship missile is that normal land attack cruise missiles ( tomahawk, kalibr, LRLACM etc. ) target mostly stationary objects, whereas anti-ship missiles target moving and maneuvering ships .
On the other hand , normal land attack cruise missiles can use terrain hiding with various natural ( mountains ) or, man made (buildings) structures on ground to hide from tracking radar, whereas in sea anti-ship missiles can't hide in open sea from tracking radar, hence anti-ship missiles need extreme sea-skimming to avoid radars, so their control surfaces are bit different, so is the sensors.
Good question. Its always trade offs between cost, weight, dimension etc against the requirement of the mission.
You don't need a 454kg warhead to take down a ship. What you need is a compact missile like a harpoon to be launched from a ship deck or a fighter because the space is limited. You cut down what is not needed for a mission requirement and optimize per-shot cost.
