Missiles Technology in News

1.) Harpoon Missiles

• Taiwan will buy as many as 400 U.S. land-launched Harpoon missiles in the face of rising threat from China.
• The Pentagon announced a $1.17 billion contract for 400 of the anti-ship missiles on April 7 without naming the buyer, saying production was expected to be completed by March 2029. Bloomberg said Taiwan was the buyer.
• Harpoon Missiles :
  • These are all-weather, over-the-horizon, anti-ship cruise missiles with a range of fire between 93 to 280 Kms.
  • About 30 nations, including India, use this missile manufactured by McDonnell Douglas (now Boeing Defense, USA).
  • Used in surface ships, submarines, and coastal defence batteries.
• Other Anti-Ship Missiles with India :
  • Anti-ship version of the BrahMos supersonic cruise missile;
  • Indigenous Naval Anti-Ship Missile (Short Range) or NASM-SR MISSILE.
  • Etc.

2.) PRALAY Missiles

• The Indian armed forces are prepared to place orders for two more Pralay ballistic missiles, at a cost of more than Rs 7,500 crore, in a significant step towards building a powerful rocket force to counter the danger from the northern borders.
• This step was taken after the Defence Ministry approved one unit of these missiles for the Indian Air Force (IAF) in December 2022.
• It is a Surface-to-Surface Quasi-Ballistic Missile.
• A quasi-ballistic missile is a type of missile that combines characteristics of ballistic missiles and cruise missiles.
• Range : 150-500 Kms.
• Developed by : DRDO.

Practice Questions for Prelims

Consider the following statements about Pralay Missile
1. It is a quasi- ballistic missile with a high trajectory.
2. It is capable of carrying a conventional warhead of about 350 kg to 700 kg.
3. It is a surface-to-air missile with a range of 150-500 Km.

Which of the above given statements is/are incorrect?
a) 1 only
b) 2 and 3 only
c) 1 and 3 only
d) 3 only

Ans: c

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