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Nirbhay Missile

  • 17 Apr 2019

Why is it in News?

Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) successfully test fired the first subsonic missile ‘Nirbhay’ from Chandipur coast of Odisha.

About the Nirbhay Missile System:

  • It is a two stage missile system that has been indigenously developed by the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO).
  • It is a long range subsonic missile system that can be launched from multiple platforms and is capable of carrying conventional and nuclear warheads.
  • It is capable of cruising at an altitude as low as 0.1 km and has a range of around 1000km.
  • It is capable of carrying warheads of up to 300kg at a speed of 0.6 to 0.7 Mach number.

Mach Number:

  • It is a non-dimensional number which is a ratio of velocity of object to the velocity of sound.
  • Mach 1 means the speed of object is same as the speed of sound.
  • Mach<1 implies speed of object is less than the speed of sound.
  • Mach>1 implies speed of object is more than the speed of sound.
  • If Mach number is greater than 5, it is generally referred to as hypersonic flow.


Source: The Diplomat, IE