Sagarika (pronounced: sɑːgərikɑː), also known by the code names K-15 or B-05, is an Indian

submarine-launched ballistic missile A submarine-launched ballistic missile (SLBM) is a ballistic missile capable of being launched from submarines. Modern variants usually deliver multiple independently targetable reentry vehicles (MIRVs), each of which carries a nuclear warhead ...

(SLBM) with a range of that was designed for retaliatory nuclear strikes. It belongs to the

K Missile family The K family of missiles (K for 'Kalam'), is a family of submarine-launched ballistic missiles (SLBM) developed by India to boost its second strike abilities and thus augment its nuclear deterrence. Information about this family of missiles ha ...

and forms a part of India's nuclear triad.

Description

The K-15 is a two-stage

which uses a gas booster to eject out of its launch platform and rise up to the surface of water. A solid rocket motor is fired after the missile reaches a fixed altitude. The missile has a range of around .

Development

Development of the K-15 missile started in the late 1990s with the goal of building a submarine-launched ballistic missile for use with the Indian Navy nuclear-powered s. It was developed at the Defence Research and Development Organisation’s (DRDO) missile complex in Hyderabad. The development of the underwater missile launcher, known as Project 420, was completed in 2001 and handed over to the Indian Navy for trials. The missile launcher is developed at Hazira in Gujarat. The Sagarika missile began integration with India's nuclear-powered

Arihant class submarine The ''Arihant''-class ( in Sanskrit) is a class of Indian nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarines being built for the Indian Navy. They were developed under the ''Advanced Technology Vessel'' (ATV) project to design and build nuclear-pow ...

that began harbor trials on 26 July 2009. By 2008, the missile was successfully test fired seven times, and tested to its full range up to four times. The tests of 26 February 2008, were conducted from a submerged pontoon beneath the surface off the coast of Visakhapatnam. A land-based version of the K-15 Sagarika was successfully test-fired on 12 November 2008. A full range test of the missile was done on 11 March 2012. The twelfth and final development trial of the missiles was conducted on 27 January 2013. According to DRDO Director General

V. K. Saraswat Vijay Kumar Saraswat is an Indian scientist who formerly served as the Director General of the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) and the Chief Scientific Advisor to the Indian Minister of Defence. He retired on 31 May 2003 a ...

, the missile was again tested for its full range of 700 km and met all its objectives with a single digit impact-accuracy. The test will be followed by integration of the missile with . On 25 November 2015, a dummy or unarmed K-15 ''Sagarika'' missile was successfully test fired from INS ''Arihant''. The missile was tested for a total of three times on August 11 and August 12, 2018. This completed the first phase of user trials of the missile. The missile was fully operationalised in August 2018.

Operators

; *

Notes

References

External links