India is making its home-made cruise missile safer by adding a special system that helps it avoid enemy attacks. This system uses flares to trick heat-seeking missiles, so the cruise missile can complete its mission without getting shot down.

India Adds Flare System to Indigenous Cruise Missile to Avoid Enemy Attacks

India is upgrading its home-grown subsonic cruise missile which is designed to strike targets up to 1,500 km away by adding a special self-protection system that uses flares. 

This move aims to protect the missile from being shot down by heat-seeking missiles, especially the portable ones used by soldiers on the ground, known as MANPADS, and similar short-range missiles launched from aircraft or other ground systems.

The missile, which is still being developed under the Indigenous Technology Cruise Missile (ITCM) program by DRDO (Defence Research and Development Organisation), is meant for use by the Indian Army, Navy, and Air Force. 

It is an advanced version of the earlier Nirbhay missile and includes locally developed systems like the Manik turbo-fan engine.

This missile flies low to the ground to avoid radar detection, which helps it remain hidden from enemy systems. 

But this low flight path also makes it easier for heat-seeking weapons to target it. To deal with this, the new flare system will release decoy lights that give off heat similar to the missile itself. 

These flares can confuse the enemy’s missile guidance systems, making them miss their actual target.

The flare system is an important safety feature, especially considering recent wars where many low-flying drones and missiles were shot down using similar heat-seeking weapons. 

The goal is to make sure India’s missiles can survive these threats and complete their missions successfully.

This upgrade is part of a bigger effort by India to strengthen its defence systems using its own technology. 

It also helps India become less dependent on foreign-made weapons. 

The success of this new flare technology will depend on how well it performs in tests, especially against modern MANPADS used by enemy forces near India’s borders.

Therefore, adding flares to the ITCM missile will improve its chances of surviving enemy attacks, making it more reliable in real combat situations and adding more strength to India’s missile arsenal.