Hypersonic Glide Vehicle (HGV) integrated with Agni-series ballistic missile booster

India's Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) has unveiled Project Dhvani, a cutting-edge Hypersonic Glide Vehicle (HGV) designed to revolutionise strategic deterrence. This indigenous system represents a leap in hypersonic technology, positioning India alongside global leaders like the United States, Russia, and China. Developed entirely in-house, Dhvani promises to enhance nuclear and conventional strike capabilities through unprecedented speed and manoeuvrability.

Dhvani operates as a boost-glide vehicle, launched atop an Agni-series ballistic missile booster to reach high altitudes before detaching and gliding towards its target.

It achieves hypersonic speeds exceeding Mach 5, approximately 6,174 km/h or higher, with some estimates suggesting Mach 6-8 during cruise. The range spans 6,000 to 10,000 km, potentially granting intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM)-class reach, rivalling systems like Russia's Avangard or China's DF-ZF.

The vehicle's airframe features a blended wing-body design with a sleek, wedge-shaped structure roughly 9 metres long and 2.5 metres wide.

This wave-rider configuration harnesses shockwaves for lift, minimising drag and enabling efficient hypersonic flight. Optimised lift-to-drag ratios and flight control surfaces, including reaction control systems, allow sharp mid-flight manoeuvres, evading traditional air defences.

Stealth is prioritised through low radar cross-section (RCS) geometry, with angled surfaces and smooth contours reducing detectability. The heat protection system employs ultra-high-temperature ceramic composites (UHTCC), enduring re-entry temperatures of 2,000-3,000°C from atmospheric friction. Precision guidance likely integrates inertial navigation with satellite corrections for accurate strikes, even against mobile targets.

Dhvani supports both nuclear and conventional warheads, possibly including multiple independently targetable re-entry vehicles (MIRVs) for enhanced payload flexibility. Full-scale models were showcased at the Vigyan Vaibhav exhibition in Hyderabad in February 2025, highlighting DRDO's progress. Maiden flight tests are slated by 2025, with induction into the armed forces targeted for 2029-30, bolstering Atmanirbhar Bharat in defence.

India's DRDO has pursued a rigorous preflight test campaign for the Dhvani Hypersonic Glide Vehicle (HGV), drawing from lessons in the Hypersonic Technology Demonstrator Vehicle (HSTDV) programme to validate critical subsystems before maiden flight. This phase encompasses ground-based validations of aerothermal performance, structural integrity, and propulsion integration, ensuring the wave-rider airframe withstands hypersonic conditions.
​
Key milestones include wind tunnel testing at facilities like the National Trisonic Aerodynamic Facility, where subscale models underwent Mach 6-8 simulations to refine lift-to-drag ratios and shockwave interactions. Thermal protection system trials using ultra-high-temperature ceramics were conducted in plasma arc jets, replicating re-entry heat fluxes up to 3,000°C for sustained durations.

Booster-vehicle separation dynamics were assessed via drop tests from Agni-series mock-ups, confirming reliable release at apogee altitudes exceeding 100 km.

​Full-scale models of Dhvani were publicly unveiled at the Vigyan Vaibhav defence exhibition in Hyderabad on 28 February 2025, marking a significant reveal of the vehicle's design and capabilities. This showcase followed ground tests and subscale validations, confirming aerodynamics, thermal protection, and guidance systems derived from HSTDV data.
​
The maiden flight test was originally targeted for late 2025, with multiple sources confirming preparations for a boost-glide trajectory using an Agni-series booster to assess high-speed glide, manoeuvrability, and heat shielding. By December 2025, plans shifted slightly, with DRDO scheduling the first full test in early 2026 to evaluate core technologies like wave-rider stability at Mach 6+ speeds.
​
Subsequent milestones include a series of three to five progressive flight trials through 2027-28, focusing on range extension up to 10,000 km, precision terminal guidance, and warhead integration. User induction into the Strategic Forces Command is projected for 2029-30, following weaponisation trials and certification. These steps align with India's push for indigenous hypersonic deterrence amid regional threats.
​
IDN (With Agency Inputs)