science

K Missile family

K Missile family is a science topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand K Missile family rather than just read about it. In short: 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 has mostly been kept classified.

Key takeaways

K Missile family belongs to science; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect K Missile family to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of K Missile family from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

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 has mostly been kept classified. It is reported that 'K missiles' are faster, lighter and stealthier than their Agni missile counterparts. High Energy Materials Research Laboratory (HEMRL) developed a new formulation of composite propellant that is more efficient and provide greater thrust compare to Agni missile series. The objective behind the development is to make K missile family faster and lighter without compromising on operational range.

Missiles in the series

K-15 or Sagarika missile

The Sagarika/K-15 missile (Sanskrit: सागरिका, IAST:Sāgarikā, meaning Oceanic) is the SLBM version of the land-based Shaurya missile. With a shorter range than K-4 missiles it is to be integrated with Arihant class submarine concurrently developed for the use of Indian Navy. Sagarika/K-15 was developed at the Defence Research and Development Organisation's (DRDO) missile complex in Hyderabad. The complex consists of the Defence Research and Development Laboratory (DRDL), the Advanced Systems Laboratory (ASL) and the Research Centre Imarat (RCI). DRDL designed and developed the missile, while the ASL provided the motors and propulsion systems. The RCI's contribution was in avionics, including control and guidance systems and inertial navigation systems. Medium range K-15 ballistic missile has a range between 700 km to 1,500 km with varying payload. This will also get help from Indian Regional Navigation Satellite System (IRNSS) to ensure guaranteed national access to precision navigation. These will enable high accuracy required for precision strike. The last development test of the missile occurred on 28 January 2013, from an underwater launch platform off the coast of Visakhapatnam.

K-4 Missile

This missile was developed after facing significant difficulties in compacting a similarly capable Agni-III to equip the INS Arihant. K-4 is an intermediate-range submarine-launched ballistic missile developed by DRDO. It is 10 meters long, weighs 20 tonnes, and can carry a 2 tonne payload up to a range of 3,500 km. INS Arihant, first of the Arihant-class submarines, will be able to carry 4 K-4 missiles. The K-4 missile was successfully tested on 24 March 2014 from an underwater pontoon submerged 30 m deep. India successfully test fired the 3,500 km strike range nuclear-capable K-4 submarine-launched ballistic missile off the coast of Andhra Pradesh on 19 January 2020. On 24 January 2020, the final trials were carried out by DRDO in which the missile achieved the near zero circular error probability and hit the target 3,500 km away. This was carried from INS Arihant and clears all validation test. K-4 has completed all the trials and been cleared for production by the government. It will be used to arm the Arihant-class submarine and future S5-class submarine. It will greatly enhance India's nuclear doctrine as K-15 has range of 750 km and it will have the range of 3,500 km.

K-5 Missile

K-5 missile is reportedly being developed by Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) for the Indian strategic forces' underwater platforms. It will arm the future variants of Arihant-class submarines of the Indian Navy. Reportedly, DRDO is in the process of developing a submarine-launched solid fuel missile with a maximum range of 5,000-6,000 kilometres. In October 2020, Hindustan Times reported that the missile was then in development and expected to be tested by 2022.

K-6 Missile

K-6 missile is SLBM which is reportedly under development by Defence Research and Development Organisation's (DRDO) Advanced Naval Systems Laboratory in Hyderabad. It is a three-stage solid fuel multiple independently targetable reentry vehicle (MIRV) capable missile with a length of 12 m, width of 2 m, payload of 2-3 tonne warhead, and a range of 6,000 to 8,000 km. It will arm the S5-class submarine of ballistic missile submarines of the Indian Navy.

Significance These 'K' missiles are intrinsically important for India's nuclear deterrence arsenal because they provide India with a much needed ideal and invulnerable second-strike capability stated in India's Nuclear Doctrine and thus shift the balance of power in India's favour in the Asian region.

Illustrations

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with K Missile family

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what K Missile family claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to K Missile family before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about K Missile family ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of K Missile family

In research: K Missile family appears in science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses K Missile family in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: K Missile family is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Ballistic missiles of India, Intercontinental ballistic missiles, Intermediate-range ballistic missiles, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for K Missile family outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study K Missile family in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what K Missile family means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain K Missile family out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is K Missile family in simple terms?

Why does K Missile family matter?

Because it connects several science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study K Missile family?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on K Missile family.