Nirbhay

After the design was finalized, the technology required for the missile was developed. It was integrated by Research and Development Establishment (Engineers), a specialized arm of DRDO.[23] Tata Motors has built the vehicle that is the carrier/launcher for the Nirbhay system and is based on a "high mobility, all-terrain and all-wheel drive Tata LPTA 5252-12 X 12 vehicle", developed in partnership with DRDO.[25]

The first test flight of the missile was planned in October 2012,[26][27] but the launch was postponed to December owing to the changes being made to the launcher. V. K. Saraswat, Director General & Scientific Adviser of DRDO, later said that the missile would be tested in February 2013. He said the delay was due to development of some processes. DRDO expected the missile to be ready for induction within 12 to 18 months after the February test.[22][28][29] There were unconfirmed media reports that the missile would be scrapped due to multiple test failures but it was then reported that the project has been given an 18-month extension, till June 2018, to fix all outstanding issues.[30][31] Nirbhay cruise missile has a single shot kill ratio of above 90 percent.[32]

First trial of Nirbhay Long Range Cruise Missile (LRCM) launched at Chandipur, Odisha on March 12, 2013.

The surface version of Nirbhay missile was test fired for the first time on 12 March 2013 from the Integrated Test Range (ITR) at Chandipur in Balasore district of Odisha. The missile in its maiden flight was supposed to hit a static target situated 1500 km away in the Bay of Bengal. Missile took off from the launch pad successfully and reached the second stage of propulsion, traveling 15 minutes through its envisaged path at a speed of 0.7 mach. After that it veered away from its trajectory forcing the command center to detach the engine from the missile midway into the flight. This was done to avoid the risk of the missile hitting the coastal areas. The missile was purposely destroyed in mid-flight.[33]

The test was a partial success as the missile took off, reached the second stage of propulsion, and traveled 30% of its range and completed most of the mission objectives, before deviating from its path. DRDO has detected the problem which was a faulty inertial navigation system and corrected the same in subsequent tests.

Second successful trial launch of Nirbhay subsonic cruise missile from Integrated Test Range on October 17, 2014

A second launch of the Nirbhay missile was scheduled for February–May 2014[34] but it was further delayed until October 2014. Slight delay in October was also due to cyclone Hudhud. On 17 October 2014, the surface version of the missile was tested once again from the Integrated Test Range at Chandipur in Balasore district of Odisha, and this time the test was successful. The missile test met all the parameters & completed all 15 way-points. The missile traveled for more than 1500 km that lasted for a duration of over 1 hour and 10 minutes. The missile was tracked with the help of ground-based radars and its health parameters were monitored by telemetry stations from DRDO's ITR and LRDE (Electronics & Radar Development Establishment).[35] An Indian Air Force SEPECAT Jaguar chased the missile during its flight to capture the video of the flight.

The third test of the missile took place on 16 October 2015.[36] The missile was to be tested for its low flying capability. The missile in flight was supposed to be brought down from 4800 meters to 20 meters gradually and in stages. A Su-30MKI aircraft videotaped the flight.[37] A press release by the Ministry of Defence stated the missile was launched at 11:38 IST and all initial critical operations such as Booster ignition, Booster separation, Wing deployment and engine start were successfully executed and Nirbhay reached the desired Cruise Altitude.[38] Although the take off was successful after repeated disruptions of countdown, the missile crashed into the Bay of Bengal 11 minutes into its flight after covering only 128 km of its 1500 km range.[39]

The fourth test of the missile took place on 21 December 2016 from Launch Complex-III of Integrated Test Range (ITR) at Balasore in Odisha around 11:56 IST.[40][41] There has been no official word on the test outcome, however according to news reports this test was not successful. The booster engine in the first stage started working and lifted the missile off from its launcher. But the missile started veering dangerously towards one side in two minutes after lift-off and veered outside its safety corridor. Due to this, the test was aborted and the missile was remotely destroyed. A potential reason for the failure was described as a hardware problem with one of the missile's component.[42][43][44]

Fifth successful trial flight tested on November 07, 2017.

The fifth successful test of the missile took place on 7 November 2017 from Launch Complex-III of Integrated Test Range (ITR) at Balasore in Odisha around 11:20 IST. The flight test was a success and met all mission objectives. During the test, the missile traveled a distance of 647 km over a 50 minute duration, and was tracked by ground based radars and telemetry stations.[45][46] This trial of the missile used a turbojet engine instead of a turbofan engine[47]

Sixth missile trial from Integrated Test Range, Odisha on 15 April 2019.

The sixth successful trial took place on April 15, 2019. Traversing around 650 km, the test missile navigated way-points located at altitudes varying from 5 meters to 2.5 km. DRDO clarified that all mission objectives were met.[48] The test also validated the terrain hugging and the sea skimming capability of the missile.[49]

This trial completed the developmental trials of the missile. The next set of trials will be conducted as per the requirements of the Indian Armed Forces.[50]

Nirbhay project is now technically closed after completing six developmental trials. The next phase of tests will happen from April 2020 under a new name called Indigenous Technology Cruise Missile (ITCM). It will include Small Turbo Fan Engine (STFE) developed by Gas Turbine Research Establishment (GTRE) and a radio-frequency (RF) seeker from Research Centre Imarat (RCI). A separate air-launched variant and submarine-launched variant is under active development.[51]

On 24 June 2021, Nirbhay was successfully test-fired from Launch Pad No. 3 of the Integrated Test Range at Chandipur.[52][53] The successful test was conducted with the GTRE Manik engine paving the way for a full range test.[54]

In April 2023, the development trials of Nirbhay missile were completed, reportedly to the satisfaction of the DRDO. User trials are expected to follow. The induction of Nirbhay in the forthcoming rocket force of the Indian Armed Forces is planned.[55]

The standard Nirbhay subsonic cruise missile is powered by a Russian NPO Saturn 36MT engine.

Indigenous Technology Cruise Missile (ITCM) is based on Nirbhay missile but uses locally developed Small Turbo Fan Engine (STFE), also known as Manik Engine from Gas Turbine Research Establishment.

On 12 October 2020, the missile was test fired for the first time with indigenously developed GTRE STFE MANIK turbofan engine. The test was aborted after 8 minutes of launch.[56] As per DRDO, the missile deviated from predetermined flight path and was destroyed mid-air by mission control team.[57][58]

On 11 August 2021, ITCM was test fired from Integrated Test Range (ITR). But it was a partial success. As per DRDO officials, MANIK engine performed well but the missile failed to achieve the desired range due to failure in control mechanism.[59][58]

On 28 October 2022, ITCM test fired from ITR failed due to a snag in the engine after separation of booster stage. This test included an upgraded radio frequency seeker.[58]

On 21 February 2023, ITCM was test fired successfully. Fitted with an upgraded radio frequency seeker and Manik engine.[60][61]