The Hindu : Front Page : Air Force version of Trishul test-fired

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Thursday, Sep 16, 2004

Front Page

Air Force version of Trishul test-fired

By T.S. Subramanian

CHENNAI, SEPT. 15. The Air Force version of Trishul, India's indigenously developed surface-to-air missile, was successfully test-fired today from the Interim-Test-Range at Chandipur, near Balasore in Orissa.

This is the first time that this version has been launched. There are three variants of Trishul for the Army, the Navy and the Air Force.

"We are happy" with the successful launch of the Air Force version, said Prahlada, Director of the Defence Research and Development Laboratory (DRDL), Hyderabad, which designed the Trishul.

The launch took place from a wheeled-vehicle base.

"Both the missile and ground radars were fine-tuned for the Air Force version," Mr. Prahlada said.

Trishul is a single-stage missile that has a range of 9 km. It can bring down helicopters and aircraft flying at an altitude.

The missile is powered by solid propellants. It has a capability for quick reaction.

The weight of the missile is 140 kg, including 20 kg of warhead. It has a dual thrust, a high and a low thrust.

A 20-kg warhead is sufficient to blast an aircraft. One demonstration had been done using a target.

Sea-skimming role

The Naval version has a sea-skimming role, that is, it can fly low and engage anti-ship missiles.

The development of the Trishul missile has had a chequered career. Since the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) tried to develop three versions of Trishul for the Army, the Air Force and the Navy, a host of complex technologies had to be developed.

Trishul alternated between successes and failures, indicating the complexity of the technologies it required.

But the complex technologies were fine-tuned, and the DRDO had a series of successful Trishul launches in December 2003.

Trishul has been test-fired about 70 times so far.

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