What is the Nirbhay Cruise Missile?

About Nirbhay Cruise Missile

• It is a long-range sub-sonic cruise missile.
• It is India’s first indigenously-produced cruise missile.
• The missile was developed by the Bengaluru-based Aeronautical Development Establishment, a lab under India’s Defence Research and Development Organization (DRDO).
• It is capable of deep penetration into adversary territory to strike high-value targets with precision. 
• Features:
  • The Nirbhay measures 6.0 m in length, 0.5 m in body diameter, and weighs 1,500-1,600 kg at launch.
  • It can strike land targets at a distance of up to 1,000 kilometers.
  • It uses a solid propellant booster motor that is jettisoned shortly after launch, switching over to a turbojet engine.
  • It is capable of loitering and cruising at Mach 0.7 (sub-sonic) at altitudes as low as 100 meters.
  • It can be armed with a 200-300 kilogram warhead. It can carry both conventional and nuclear warheads.
  • It can be launched from multiple platforms.
  • It is guided by INS/GPS with an active-radar terminal seeker.

Q1) What is the Defence Research and Development Organization (DRDO)?

DRDO is the R&D wing of Ministry of Defence, Govt of India, with a vision to empower India with cutting-edge defence technologies and a mission to achieve self-reliance in critical defence technologies and systems, while equipping our armed forces with state-of-the-art weapon systems and equipment in accordance with requirements laid down by the three Services.

Source: Armed forces to have long, intermediate-range missiles in its inventory: Sources

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