Maarg Manthan · Topic 16.23

Nirbhay Subsonic Cruise Missile

Science & Technology › Defence Technology and Missile Systems · Topic 16.23

Nirbhay is an Indian long range, subsonic cruise missile developed by the Aeronautical Development Establishment of DRDO in Bengaluru. It is a two stage missile, with a solid rocket booster that takes it up to flight speed and a turbofan engine that powers the cruise phase at about Mach 0.6 to 0.7. It can fly at low altitude, following terrain, can loiter and change course, and has a range of about 1,000 km, with later versions reaching about 1,500 km. The first test on 12 March 2013 failed, and success came only in later flights from 2014 onwards. The Indigenous Technology Cruise Missile, ITCM, tested in 2024 with the indigenous Manik small turbofan engine, is the Nirbhay's successor in a way.

5 min read · UPSC Prelims · Science & Technology · Defence Technology and Missile Systems

At a Glance

Type Subsonic cruise missile
Range About 1,000 km
Speed Mach 0.6 to 0.7
Developer ADE, DRDO
Engine Turbofan, Manik in ITCM
Exam link UPSC Prelims, Science & Technology: Defence Technology and Missile Systems

Where Does It Fit?

This topic follows the account of Indian submarines and ships. It describes India’s long range subsonic cruise missile, a good contrast with the supersonic BrahMos. Previous topic: Indian Submarines and Naval Ships: Project 75, INS Kalvari, INS Kolkata, INS Kiltan. Next topic: Prithvi-II Missile.

What Are the Features of Nirbhay?

Feature	Details
Developer	Aeronautical Development Establishment, Bengaluru, a laboratory of DRDO. The name Nirbhay means fearless
Type	All-weather, long range, subsonic cruise missile that can fly from land, and later from ships and aircraft
Propulsion	A solid rocket booster first, then a small turbofan (initially a Russian NPO Saturn engine, later the indigenous Manik engine of the Gas Turbine Research Establishment)
Speed and range	Mach 0.6 to 0.7 and over 1,000 km. Variants of up to 1,500 km are reported
Flight path	Flies at 50 metres or lower and uses terrain hugging and waypoint navigation, with ability to loiter
Guidance	Inertial navigation with satellite correction, a radar altimeter and terminal sensors
Warhead	A conventional warhead of about 200 to 300 kg, and nuclear capability has been claimed

How Did the Tests Go and What Comes Next?

First test: 12 March 2013, which failed when the missile deviated from course and was destroyed
Later tests: a success in October 2014 with a flight over 1,000 km; flights in 2015 and 2016 had mixed results and one in 2017 failed in the later stage
Test with Indian engine: the ITCM flight tests of 2024 used the Manik engine and reached about 1,000 km range
LRLACM: Long Range Land Attack Cruise Missile, a naval version of 1,000 km range for ships, tested in 2024
Production: a number of missiles was ordered for the services
Comparison with BrahMos: Nirbhay is subsonic, slower and longer ranged. BrahMos is supersonic and shorter ranged, as in BrahMos Missile System
Role: deep strikes at fixed targets, such as bases and command centres
Challenges: engine reliability, guidance and exports of engines are issues

What Else Should You Remember?

Subsonic and supersonic: subsonic cruise missiles have longer range per fuel but are easier to intercept
Tomahawk: the American subsonic cruise missile that Nirbhay is often compared with
Kalibr: Russian cruise missile family
Pakistan’s Babur: Pakistan’s subsonic cruise missile
Terrain following: flying close to the ground to avoid radar
Waypoints: a programmed set of turning points
Radar altimeter: measures height above ground
Loitering: staying over an area before diving to the target
Manik engine: a small turbofan made by the Gas Turbine Research Establishment
Gas Turbine Research Establishment: GTRE, a DRDO lab in Bengaluru that also made the Kaveri engine
Chandipur testing: ITR Chandipur, Odisha
Nuclear capable claim: Indian officials have not given details
Submarine launched version: a version is meant to be launched from torpedo tubes
Air launched: Su-30MKI can be adapted for cruise missile roles
Indigenisation: the aim is a fully Indian engine and seekers
Link: types of missiles are in Classification of Missiles: Ballistic vs Cruise Missiles
Link to ships: ships that can carry cruise missiles are in Frigates, Destroyers and Aircraft Carriers of the Indian Navy
Mission planning: the missile is loaded with a route before launch and can fly around known air defences
Accuracy: a final-phase seeker is meant to give a hit within a few metres of the aim point
Salvo launch: several missiles can be fired in a short time to overwhelm defences
Trial ranges: tests are held over the Bay of Bengal with ships and aircraft tracking the flight
Cost: cruise missiles are cheaper than manned strike aircraft for deep targets
Export control: the Missile Technology Control Regime covers long range cruise missiles, which India joined in 2016
Mobility: a road mobile launcher with several missiles in canisters is the usual form
Why it matters: a long range land attack missile gives conventional options without risking pilots

Why Does It Matter for the Exam?

Type: subsonic cruise
Range: 1,000 km
Developer: ADE, DRDO
Current affairs link: ITCM and LRLACM tests
Common errors: calling Nirbhay supersonic or saying it uses a ramjet

As an analytical point, Nirbhay shows both the promise and the difficulty of building small turbofan engines. A reliable indigenous engine would allow India to build a family of long range cruise missiles for all three services.

Why Is This Topic Important?

Type Subsonic cruise
Engine Turbofan
History Failures to success

What Came Next?

The next topic covers the Prithvi-II missile. Next topic: Prithvi-II Missile.

Key People and Terms

Nirbhay Fearless
ADE Aeronautical Development Establishment
ITCM Indigenous Technology Cruise Missile
LRLACM Long Range Land Attack Cruise Missile
GTRE Gas Turbine Research Establishment
Turbofan Fan jet engine

Exam Corner

Points to Remember

Nirbhay: subsonic, about 1,000 km.
First test: 12 March 2013.
Engine: turbofan.
Developer: ADE Bengaluru.
ITCM uses Manik engine.

Do Not Confuse With

Nirbhay and BrahMos Subsonic turbofan versus supersonic ramjet
ADE and GTRE Aircraft design versus engine lab
Cruise and ballistic Air-breathing versus rocket

Memory Hook

Nirbhay is fearless but slow: boost then turbofan, a thousand kilometres at Mach point-seven.

Mains Angle

Questions ask for type, range and engine. These points help.

Role Deep strike
Engine issue Indigenous
Compare BrahMos

A Question You May Face

An original practice question, not a past paper question.

“Compare the Nirbhay and BrahMos cruise missiles and discuss the importance of indigenous engines.”

How to Answer

Nirbhay Features.
BrahMos Contrast.
Engine Manik.
Way forward Reliability.

GS Relevance

Prelims: Nirbhay type, range, propulsion, developer, ITCM. GS Paper 3: defence technology.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the Nirbhay missile?

Nirbhay is an indigenous long range subsonic cruise missile developed by DRDO's Aeronautical Development Establishment in Bengaluru. It has a range of about 1,000 km, flies at about Mach 0.7 at low altitude using terrain following, and is powered by a solid booster and a turbofan engine.

How is Nirbhay different from BrahMos?

Nirbhay is a subsonic cruise missile flying at about Mach 0.7 with a turbofan engine and a range of about 1,000 km or more, while BrahMos is a supersonic missile flying at about Mach 2.8 with a ramjet engine and a shorter range. BrahMos is an Indo-Russian venture, and Nirbhay is wholly Indian.

What is the ITCM?

The Indigenous Technology Cruise Missile is a DRDO long range cruise missile that evolved from Nirbhay and uses the indigenous Manik small turbofan engine developed by the Gas Turbine Research Establishment. It was flight tested in 2024 and is meant to reduce dependence on imported engines.

When was Nirbhay first tested?

The first test of Nirbhay on 12 March 2013 failed, as the missile deviated and was destroyed during the flight. A successful full flight took place in October 2014. Several later tests had mixed results before the indigenous engine version was tried in 2024.

Why is a subsonic cruise missile useful?

A subsonic cruise missile uses less fuel and so can fly farther for the same size. It can carry a heavier warhead for its cost, fly low using terrain following and be launched from many platforms. Its main weakness is that it is slower and easier to intercept than a supersonic missile.

PYQ Practice — Statement Analysis

1 Nirbhay is a subsonic cruise missile.

True

With a turbofan engine.

2 Nirbhay was developed jointly with Russia.

False

It is wholly Indian.

3 The first Nirbhay test in 2013 failed.