November 16,
2008: India has conducted another
successful test of its K15 Sagarika SLBM (Sea Launched Ballistic Missile). This
test was from a missile silo sitting on the ground, as India is still
developing a submarine that can carry the K15.
Earlier this
year, India announced that it had perfected the technology for launching ballistic missiles from a submerged
submarine. That meant the silo design had been perfected as well. The seven ton
K15 has been successfully tested four times now. In the last few tests, the
metal silo was being tested as well. The K-15 has a 1,000 kilometer range, and
a half ton payload, which is sufficient
to handle a nuclear warhead. India is
expects to have a nuclear submarine capable of carrying the K-15 in 5-10 years.
The
first SLBM was the U.S. Polaris A1,
which began development 52 years ago, and entered service in 1961. Like the
K-15, it was a two stage, solid fuel missile. The Polaris A1 weighed 13
tons, had a range of 2,200 kilometers
and a one ton warhead.
