India has taken a decisive step toward strengthening its underwater strike capabilities with the successful development and testing of its indigenous Submarine Launched Cruise Missile (SLCM).

The weapon system represents a major stride in the country’s efforts to create a credible, flexible, and survivable second-strike capability undersea, complementing the nation’s existing sea-based deterrence assets.

The SLCM has been engineered to engage both maritime and land-based targets with high accuracy. Its design allows it to transition smoothly from an underwater launch environment to sustained air flight, combining stealth, precision, and flexibility across operational environments.

This capability ensures that Indian submarines operating deep within the ocean can strike strategic targets at extended ranges without exposing their positions.

In 2024, India successfully conducted two full-range missions of the SLCM from an underwater test platform. These trials validated critical technologies, including the submarine ejection mechanism, underwater propulsion dynamics, capsule separation, and complete air-phase trajectory performance. 

The successful demonstration of these features confirms the missile’s readiness for integration with Indian Navy submarines in the near term.

The verified underwater ejection mechanism represents a key technological breakthrough. It ensures that the missile can be safely launched from a submerged submarine through a cold-launch system, using a gas generator to eject the missile from its canister before the air-breathing engine ignites at a safe distance from the platform.

Precision in timing, buoyancy management, and structural resilience under pressure were core objectives met during these tests.

During the flights, the missile demonstrated stable underwater-to-air transition and accurate adherence to planned trajectory profiles. Onboard navigation and guidance systems functioned flawlessly, enabling high accuracy against simulated target points. The tests also reinforced the reliability of crucial avionics and propulsion technologies derived from India’s robust cruise missile development lineage.

Developed indigenously by the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), the SLCM project is a product of years of experience gained from the Nirbhay subsonic cruise missile program. 

The missile employs a turbojet engine and inertial navigation system augmented by satellite guidance, allowing for long-range precision strikes. Its modular design offers compatibility with both conventional and potentially nuclear payloads.

The SLCM’s success marks a major milestone in India’s quest for a fully operational sea-based conventional and strategic deterrence architecture. When fully integrated with submarines such as the Arihant-class or future platforms, the system will provide India with a potent tool to ensure deterrence credibility and enhanced maritime strike flexibility.

This achievement further aligns with India’s doctrine of credible minimum deterrence and its ongoing emphasis on indigenisation under the ‘Aatmanirbhar Bharat’ (self-reliant India) initiative. The capability also positions India within a select group of nations capable of wielding submarine-launched cruise missiles, a domain previously dominated by major military powers.

IDN (With Agency Inputs)