BrahMos – The most advanced cruise missile

During my school days back in 1991 every evening I used to stay glued to the TV sets watching news.

Odd for a teen?

 It was the VHS days and my world was just opening up to Hollywood Films. The video rental stores offered mainly action films like Rambo & Commando. I was fascinated by these action films with equipments and technology unknown to me. But again those were just films.

During Gulf War in 1991 news channels started telecasting scenes of war from Iraq to our TV screens. Missile salvos and anti-aircraft guns firing was no more a scene from Hollywood war film, it was reality.

During these times I came know some names like Harpoon, Tomahawk, Scud, Patriot etc. Then there were Ballistic missiles, Anti Ballistic missiles & Cruise Missiles.

During 1991 Gulf War a total of 288 Tomahawk missiles were fired by US Navy causing huge effect on the outcome of the war.

Since this war a lot of technological advancements have taken place in the Cruise Missile technology.

BrahMos Missile System

BrahMos -The latest entrant to this family is BrahMos the only operational Mid Range Supersonic Cruise Missile in the world. Jointly developed by India’s DRDO and Russia’s NPOM and named after two rivers (Brahmaputra in India and Moskva in Russia), this is arguably the most advanced cruise missile in the world. Based on Russian "P-800 Oniks" missile system, BrahMos has a unique capability of being launched from multiple platforms like submarines, ships, aircraft and land based Mobile Autonomous Launchers.

BrahMos being fired from Cruiser

BrahMos fitted to Su-30MKI

The BrahMos has a range of 290 kilometers and can carry a conventional warhead of up to 300 kilograms. It can effectively engage targets from an altitude as low as 10 meters  and has a top speed of Mach 2.8 with an accuracy of 1m. BrahMos is the only supersonic cruise missile possessing advanced capability of hitting selective land target amongst a group of targets, making it one of the most precise missile systems.

Brahmos Mobile Launcher System

Moreover with sustained 2.8 mach speed BrahMos cannot be intercepted by some existing missile defense system.

BrahMos being fired from Submarine

BrahMos-II is the second of the BrahMos series of cruise missiles under development and  is expected to have a range of 290 kms and a speed of Mach 7. It will be the only Hypersonic missile in the world and is expected to enter service by 2017.

Technical Info:

Weight                                    -3,000 kg, 2,500 kg (air-launched)

Length                                    -8.4 m

Diameter                                 -0.6 m

Warhead                                 -200–300 kg conventional semi-armour-piercing and nuclear

Engine                                    -First stage: solid propellant booster,Second stage: liquid-fueled ramjet

Operational range                  -Approx. 300–500 km[1]

Flight ceiling                           -15 km

Flight altitude                          -Sea-skimming, as low as 3–4 meters

Speed                                       -Mach 2.8–3.0

Accuracy                                 -1 m

Launch platform                     -Ship, submarine, aircraft and land-based mobile launchers.

Source: www.globalsecurity.org, wikipedia.org, www.brahmos.com, missilethreat.com

Image Credit : www.thehindu.com, www.thehindubusinessline.com , missilethreat.com , aviationweek.com, wikipedia.org, 

SS-18 (R-36M) SATAN - THE DEADLIEST MISSILE ON THE PLANET

With invention of gun powder back in 9^th century, military technology has mainly evolved to use it for longer range, higher accuracy and faster speed. Initially there were guns & canons. Later rockets were developed for longer range and better accuracy.

Though the date of first use of rocket is highly debated some historians consider the first use of rocket  as way back as in 1232 by the Chinese against the Mongols. Early text describes use of first multistage rockets in the 14^th century.

First use of Metal cylinder rocket artillery was used by Tipu Sultan in the 1780s during the Anglo-mysore wars against the British army. This rockets had a range of 2 Kms. V-2 rockets developed by Nazi Germany was the first of the modern day rockets. First produced in 1943 V-2 rockets had a range of 300Km and with later developments increased it’s accuracy to few meters.

Post Second World War with the introduction of Nuclear weapons and space programs rocket were needed to be of much longer range and absolute accuracy. During the Cold war both USA and the Soviet Union invested heavily on developing Rockets(missiles) to counter each other, hence led to the development of the Intercontinental Ballistic  Missiles (or ICBMs).

SS-18 being transported

SS-18 Being test fired

During this phase Soviet Union developed arguably the most deadly missile of all time - the R-36M series (NATO Name SS-18 Satan).Just to understand the deadliness of this ICBM – The nuclear Bomb used in Hiroshima (which took 70,000 human life)was of 15 KT yield while a single SS-18 carries nuclear warhead of 20000KT i.e 1333.33 times more powerful.

SS-18 is the heaviest of any missile ever built with a max weight of 211000kg and a range of 16000Km which is also the longest range for any missile ever built by human. This missile have the highest throw-rate of 8,800 kg(In comparison to  LGM-118 Peacekeeper which had a throw-weight of 4000kgs).

First introduced in 1967 this silo launched MIRV (multiple independently targetable reentry vehicle) is capable of carrying 10 warheads(In comparison Minuteman carries 3 warheads) and up to 40 penetration aids (like decoys, radar jammers, chaff etc).

Comparison of US & USSR ICBMs

SS-18 have a lower accuracy (220-700m) than their US counterparts but when you are deploying a 20MT nuclear device the accuracy does not matter much.

At its peak 308 SS-18(61,60,000 KT) launch silos were operational in 1991.In July 2009 only 59 (all 10 MIRVs) of these are operational i.e a total yield of 11,80,000 KT of TNT.

A SS-18 Silo

The SS-18 was deployed in modified SS-9 silos, and employed a cold-launch technique with the missile being ejected from the silo prior to main engine ignition. These specially hardened silos are 39 meters deep and had a diameter of 5.9 m. According to Western estimates, the SS-18 was deployed in a silo with a hardness of at least 4,000 psi, and possibly as high as 6,000 psi (In comparison American missile silos are hardened to 300 psi)

Technical Details :

Weight  -                            209,600 kg (462,100 lb)

Length  -                            32.2 m (106 ft)

Diameter -                          3.05 m (10.0 ft)

Warhead -                          Three stage fission-fusion-fission, over 20 Mt of TNT

Detonation mechanism  - Airburst

Engine -                             Two-stage liquid propellant

Fuel -                                  UDMH

Operational range -          10,200–16,000 km (depending on R-36M missile variants)

Speed  -                              >7.9 km/s

Guidance system  -          Inertial, autonomous

Accuracy -                         220–700 m CEP (depending on R-36M missile variants)

Launch platform -             Silo

Canister length (m)  -        27.9

Canister diameter (m) -     3.5

Sources:fas.org, www.military-today.com, wikipedia.org, in.rbth.com

Images: gdb.voanews.com, www.ausairpower.net, ic.pics.livejournal.com, www.defence-point.gr, englishrussia.com

OPERATIONAL SUPER-GUNS OF WORLD WAR II

World War II was the test bed for mechanical innovations. While the Germans were in the forefront of this vicissitude, other nations were not behind. Though the concept of long range land attacks was used from ancient history, it was mastered during WWI and WWII. “Bigger, Faster, Longer” was the need of the hour and numerous super heavy guns were either designed or manufactured. Hitler’s obsession for heavy guns resulted in designing of many of these super-guns. Whenever any debate on military innovation takes place, names like “Schwerer Gustav”, “Karl-Gerät”, “K5 railway gun” or the “V-3 cannon” comes up.

Here is a list of some of the Super-Heavy Guns that saw combat in WWII.

Todt Battery- Originally named Battery Siegfried as part of the Germans' invasion plans for England, a battery equipped with 4 nos 38 cm SK C/34 naval gun each protected by bunker of reinforced concrete was installed just south of the Pas de Calais in 1940. It was to support the invasion by bombarding the southeast of England and simultaneously keeping the English Channel free of Allied warships.

Build by Krupp this 15 inch Caliber guns (originally for use in naval application) had a range of more of 55km and could effectively engage enemy across the English Channel.

Karl-Gerät- The largest self-propelled guns ever build and used in combat. It was designed and built by Rheinmetall and first saw combat in 1941 in Belarus. A total of 6 numbers were built each with a distinctive mythological names and saw combat mainly against Russia and Poland.

These 24 Inch caliber howitzers had a maximum range of 10 Km (Thor, Odin & Loki) and need 21 soilders to operate.

  

Obusier de 520 modèle 1916- Though built during WWI this French make Railroad gun saw action in WWII under the Germans. This was the biggest piece of ordnance built by Schneider et Cie during the First World War. It was used during the seize of Leningrad but had very little contribution.

This 20 inch caliber gun had a barrel length of 11.9 mtrs and an effective range of 16 Km.

Krupp  28-cm-Kanone 5 (E) (Anzio Annie) – Most famous of the 21 K5 railway gun was

Anzio Annie. For the first time it saw action was in 1944 during Allied landing (50,000 troops) in Anzio, Italy. With the help of K5s the Germany army nearly defeated the Allied effort in Italy, and bringing the invasion to a standstill at Cassino for next 3 months.

The K5s used 11.1 Inch caliber shells with a maximum range of 64 Km. While the length of the K5 was 32 Mtrs , it’s barrels had a prodigious barrel length of more than 21 mtrs.

1938 Railway gun TM-3-12 – This was a Soviet Railway gun built in 1938 from Obukhovskii 12"/52 Pattern 1907 naval gun from the sunken battleship Imperatritsa Mariya. They were used in the Soviet-Finnish war in 1939-1940. In June–December 1941 they took part in the defense of the Soviet naval base on Finland's Hanko peninsula.

These guns had a turret length of around 13 mtrs and a caliber of 12inch. It had a maximum range of 43 km with a 314kg shell.

Schwerer Gustav & Dora– The “Grand Daddy” of all guns. The single largest-calibre rifled weapon ever built and used in history. Designed by Krupp Industries it was used during WWII
by the Nazi's only against the Russians during Operation Barbarossa and siege of Leningrad. At 1350 Tonnes it is the heaviest artillery of all time firing and capable of firing 7500kg world’s heaviest shells.But it could only fire 2 rounds per hour due high reloading time. It required a non combat crew of 2750 to operate.

This 31 Inch caliber cannon had a humongous barrel of 32.5mtrs length. It had a range of 47km.

  

Sturmtiger – First introduced in WWII arena in 1944, Sturmtiger was a Tiger I tank retrofitted with land version of Kreismarine navalised anti-submarine rocket launching weapon. It was briefly used in WWII, mainly during the Warsaw Uprising.

This 68 tonne machine ran on 690 hp Maybach engine with a max speed of 40km/h. It had operational range of 120km. Its 15 inch caliber rocket launchers had a max firing range of 6km with 376 kg rockets.

  

V-3 (Vergeltungswaffe 3) cannon- The V3 also known as “Hochdruckpumpe” was a massive cannon, also known as the "London gun" designed by Germans to lob shells from it site on the coast of France across the English Channel and hit London, though it was never used against London. These were used during the bombardment of Luxembourg.

The length of these 5.9inch caliber cannons were almost 4 times that of “Schwerer Gustav” at 140mtrs, a range of 165 Km.

38 cm Siegfried K (E)-K12 - The K12 was a railway gun developed solely to satisfy the passion Hitler Hitler wore for heavy caliber guns. The 38 cm Siegfried cannons were originally designed as the main armament of the Bismarck-class battleships. Only 4 numbers were built without much remarkable effect on the war.

This 15 Inch caliber cannon had barrels of 18.4mtrs length. It had a range of 55.7km. 

42 cm Gamma Mörser - The 42 cm Gamma Mörser, also known as kurze Marinekanone L/16 (short naval gun with 16-caliber barrel) was a German siege howitzer developed before WWI in 1909.During WWII the Gamma Mörser was deployed against the Maginot Line in 1940, the Siege of Sevastopol and the Warsaw Uprising.

This 16.5 Inch caliber cannon had barrels of 6.7mtrs length. It had a range of 14.2km.

  

28 cm schwere Bruno Kanone – Originally Belgian coastal defense guns L/42 of WWi era mounted on railway carriage manufactured by Krupp. The guns only saw action during the Battle of France in June 1940.

This 11.1Inch caliber cannon had barrels of 11.08mtrs length. It had a range of 35.7km.

  

35.5 cm Haubitze M1- The Haubitze M1 was practically an enlarged 24 cm Kanone 3. It was manufactured by Rheinmetall-Borsig and was introduced in 1939. A total of 8 nos were build. It saw service mainly in the Eastern Front. It saw action in Battle of France ,Operation Barbarossa, the Siege of Sevastopol, the Siege of Leningrad and a played a very important role in negating the Warsaw Uprising.

This 14Inch caliber cannon had barrels of 8.05mtrs length. It had a range of 20.8 km.

Some of the guns that needs a special mention though they were not used during WWII or later replaced by heavier guns. The most famous was the “Paris Gun”. The others were “Skoda 305 mm Model 1911”, “BL 9.2-inch Railway Gun”, “BL 15 inch Mk I naval gun”,” Type 90 240 mm railway gun”, ” 240 mm howitzer M1” and the more modern “GC-45 howitzer”.

THE OTHER GREATEST VILLAINS OF 1990 - 2010

     

There are much celebrated nefarious characters in Bollywood like “Gabbar Singh” in Sholay, “Mogambo” in Mr. India, “Dr. Dang” in Karma, “Shakal” in Shaan, ”Maharani” in Sadak , “Seth Dharam Dayal Teja” in Zanjeer, ”Prem Chopra” in Bobby , “Kancha China” in Agneepath played by super creative actors and has teased our sense of fear over the time.

Bollywood from 1990 – 2010 has produced the most fantastic and fanatic villainous characters of all time. Here is list of villainous characters from these 2 decades, whom I feel are unique in their portrayal yet live in the shadows of the legendary characters mentioned above.

Anupam Kher (as Inspector Giridhar) & Annu Kapoor (Havaldar Arjun Singh)in HUM (1991)- A unique comic yet cruel characters. Their dialogues were peppy . They had an evil genius in them in the  way they took control of the arms business after framing “Baktawar Seth”. Pitted against Amitabh, Govinda, Rajnikant, Danny- Anupam Kher & Annu Kapoor proved their proficiency as actors.

Naseeruddin Shah (as Gulfam Hassan) in SARFAROSH (1999) – A villain who is also an established Ghazal artist. The subtleness in the character is sure to put you in consternation when his true identity is disclosed. A master performance of understated villainy.

Ashutosh Rana (as Lajja Shankar Pandey) in SANGHARSH(1999) – Lajja Shankar is sure to create a chill in your spine whenever he does his foul cry with his hands on his mouth. The character is as creepy as it gets. A religious fanatic who believes in sacrificing children to achieve mortality.

Govinda (as Om Srivastav / Mahendra Pratap Singh) in SHIKARI(2000) – Govinda in his only negative role of his career. Despite over the top makeup, abnormal husky voice and much hamming you will STILL love this villain because of charisma of Govinda. The zealotry of the character will enthrall you.

Urmila Matondkar (as Ma'am) in KAUN?(1999) – One of the creepiest character ever played in Bollywood. Urmila with no name (referred to as Ma’am throughout the movie)  portrays a feeble, helpless, spooky, macabre,  devilish aspect in a single character. Her transformation from being haunted to haunting will terrify you.

Saif Ali Khan(as Karan Singh Rathod) in EK HASINA THI(2004) – One of the most urbane , subtle and suave  villain of bollywood played by Saif. Saif (who till then played only romantic characters) displayed cold bloodedness with much aptitude. Another aspect of this character was that though it was the lead villain of the movie but the character was not the leader of the other villains of the movie (unlike other bollywood films) but worked for them. His death scene was also one of the most disturbing as far as bollywood villains are considered.

Atul Kulkarni (as Inspector "Encounter" Shankar) in DUM(2003) – You are sure to hate this character from point go. A menacing police officer played ably by Atul Kulkarni will make you lament. 

Shakti Kapoor (as Crime Master Gogo) in ANDAZ APNA APNA(1994) – Arguably the best comic villain ever in Bollywood. This nephew of ” Mogambo” was as hysterical and hilarious as it could be. Shakti Kapoor’s depiction of this character will sure to be considered as legendary acting. The dialogues complemented the character like no other.

Danny Denzongpa (as Katya) in GHATAK(1996)- A real villain in Bollywood sense with leopards as pets. A dominating character played by Danny to rival the theatrics of Sunny Deol. Dialogue delivery was a absolute masterpiece. The ferocity of the character will make you sit up and take notice.

Nana Patekar  (as Majid Khan) in ANGAAR(1992)- A villain who is an Architect by qualification. The villain who is a man who loves his family yet poisons his own retarded son. The subtle-ness in Nana’s acting was the highpoint. His ruthlessness will impress you.

Raghuvaran (as Bhavani) in SHIVA(1991) - Just watch out for the expression on Raghuvaran's face when he stab a person to death. It was utter terror. As an unknown face in Bollywood will sure to cause chill in your spine. Many villains in later movies tried to replicate the character (Maybe almost all Student - Underworld movie).

Mithun Chakraborty  (as Amavas a.k.a. Vijay Bahadur) in JALLAD(1995) - A cold hearted politician criminal. Just watch out for Mithun's dialogue delivery and body language. It's sheer villainy.

Ashutosh Rana (as Gokul Pandit) in DUSHMAN(1998) - The character epitomizes  devil incarnated. With those ever expressive evil eyes and his fabulous acting, Ashutosh in his debut film will surely cause jitters in your heart.  This deranged auto-driver will be remembered as one of the most dreadful villains of all time.




 
Manoj Bajpai  (as Raghavan Ghatge) in AKS(2001) - A supernatural villain that will haunt you throughout the movie. Pitted with likes of Amitabh , Manoj Bajpai as a dead criminal outshines him. The dialogues are impeccable with likes of "Na Koi Marta Hai".

Saif Ali Khan as Ishwar 'Langda' Tyagi in OMKARA(2006) - Based on "Lago"( of William Shakespeare's Othello) just expect the unexpected from Saif Ali Khan. The perfection of the portrayal of the character will sure to put this character in the top of the list of the best villains on this millennium. A limp, a master conspirator with no remorse. Others characters of the movie fades in comparison of Langda Tyagi.

Sushant Singh (as Gajraj Singh) in SEHAR(2005) - As a young, cool headed, cold blooded, tech savvy  mafia don Sushant excels in the portrayal of Gajraj.  His ruthlessness will entice you.

Special Mention

Naseeruddin Shah (as Jindal) in MOHRA(1994)

Irfan Khan (as Ranvijay Singh) in HAASIL(2003)

Gulshan Grover (as Chhappan Tikli a.k.a. Jimmy) in SIR(1993)

Amrish Puri (as Barrister Indrajit Chaddha) in DAMINI(1993)

Kajol (as Isha Diwan) in GUPT(1997)

Amitabh Bachchan as Vijay Singh Rajput in AANKHEN(2002)