In this article you will find the list of important Indian missiles with their families, name, range and other information.
In military missiles, also known as a guided missile is a rocket-propelled weapon delivered with explosive with high-accuracy and speed. A missile has mainly four system components; Targeting or missile guidance, Flight system, Engine and Warhead. Missiles come in different types like; Surface-to-surface, air-to-surface, surface-to-air and others. With the successful development and testing of various missile systems for a long time India has almost achieved self reliance in missile technology.
List of Missiles of India is a very important topic for many defense exams and UPSC exams. Here we will provide all the details for easy understanding.
Types of Indian Missiles and their Families
The below table gives you a clear understanding about the types of Indian missiles and their families.
| No. | Type of Missile | Families |
| 1 | Air-to-air missiles | Astra (missile), Novator KS-172, Solid Fuel Ducted Ramjet |
| 2 | Anti-radiation missiles | Rudram-1 |
| 3 | Anti-satellite missiles | Prithvi Defence Vehicle Mark II |
| 4 | Anti-ship missiles | NASM-SR |
| 5 | Anti-submarine | SMART |
| 6 | Anti-Tank Missiles | DRDO Anti Tank Missile, Nag (missile), Amogha missile, SAMHO |
| 7 | Ballistic Missiles | Prithvi (missile), Agni (missile), Surya missile, K missile family, Prahaar, Pralay |
| 8 | Cruise Missiles | BrahMos, BrahMos-II, Nirbhay (missile) |
| 9 | Ballistic Missile Defense | Phase I of Indian Ballistic Missile Defence Programme, Phase II of Indian Ballistic Missile Defence Programme |
| 10 | Surface-To-Air Missiles | Trish, XR-SAMul (missile), Akash (missile), Maitri (missile), QRSAM, VL-SRSAM, Barak 8 |
| 11 | Other systems | K missile family, Hypersonic Technology Demonstrator Vehicle |
List of Important Indian Missiles
Here is the table of major missiles of India with type, maximum range, and speed.
| No. | Name of Missile | Type of Missile | Maximum Range | Speed |
| 1 | Astra Missile | Air to Air | 110 km – 350 km | Mach 4.5 |
| 2 | Novator KS-172 | Air to Air | 200 km to 300 km | Mach 3.3 |
| 3 | Rudram-1 | Air to Surface | 250 km | – |
| 4 | Trishul | Short-Range surface to air missile | 9 km | – |
| 5 | Shaurya | Medium-Range Ballistic Missile | 750 to 1,900 km | – |
| 6 | MICA | Air to Air | 500 m to 60 km | Mach 4 |
| 7 | Helina | Anti Tank Missile | 7 – 8 km | – |
| 8 | Akash | Medium Range Surface to Air Missile | 30 – 35 km | – |
| 9 | Barack 8 | Long-Range surface to air Missile | 100 km | Mach 2 |
| 10 | Agni-I | Medium range ballistic missile (MRMB) | 900 to 1,200 km | Mach 7.5 |
| 11 | Agni-P | Medium range ballistic missile (MRMB) | 1,000 to 2,000 km | – |
| 12 | Agni-II | Medium range ballistic missile (MRMB) | 2,000 to 3,500 km | Mach 12 |
| 13 | Agni-III | Intermediate range ballistic missile (IRBM) | 3,500 to 5,000 km | 5–6 km/s |
| 14 | Agni-IV | Intermediate range ballistic missile (IRBM) | 4,000 km | Mach 7 |
| 15 | Agni-V | Intermediate range ballistic missile (IRBM) | 5,500 to 8,000 km | Mach 24 |
| 16 | Agni-VI | Intermediate range ballistic missile (IRBM) | 12,000 to 16,000 km | – |
| 17 | Prithvi I | Short-Range Ballistic Missile | 150 km | – |
| 18 | Prithvi II | Short-Range Ballistic Missile | 350 km | – |
| 19 | Prithvi III | Short-Range Ballistic Missile | 350 km | – |
| 20 | Brahmos | Supersonic cruise missile | 290 km | Mach 3 |
| 21 | Brahmos II | Hypersonic cruise missile | 450 – 600 km | Mach 8 |
| 22 | Dhanush | Surface-to-surface Anti-ship ballistic missile | 350 to 750 km | – |
| 23 | Nirbhay | Subsonic cruise missile | 1,000–1,500 km | Mach 0.9 |
Note: In August 2020 The Indian Air Force (IAF) successfully tested the Beyond Visual Range (BVR) anti-air multi-target MICA missile which will be integrated with the acquired Rafale fighter jets. The test was conducted using Sukhoi Su-30 MKI fighter jets at Odisha Coast. The MICA missile system has been acquired from France. It is a 3.1m long missile with an approximate weight 112 kg and can destroy targets within 500m to 60 km range.
Guided and unguided rocket systems
Beside guided missiles India also has guided and unguided rocket systems.
| No. | Family | Type |
| 1 | Pinaka multi-barrel rocket launcher | Multiple rocket launcher |
| 2 | Indian long range MRL | Multiple rocket launcher |
Note: Pinaka Mk I and Pinaka Mk II/Guided Pinaka are the two rocket system comes under Pinaka multi-barrel rocket launcher family.
FAQ about Missiles of India
Q 1. What are the types of Indian Missiles?
Here is a list of different types of Indian Missiles.
- Air-to-air missiles
- Anti-radiation missiles
- Anti-satellite missiles
- Anti-ship missiles
- Anti-submarine
- Anti-Tank Missiles
- Ballistic Missiles
- Cruise Missiles
- Ballistic Missile Defense
- Surface-To-Air Missiles
- Other systems
Q2. Where does missile research and development in India happen?
The missile research and development in India happen under the Defense Research and Development Laboratory (DRDL), a group of laboratories collectively called the Missile Complex Laboratories.
