India’s Defense Research and Development Organization (DRDO) is set to display its most lethal non-strategic missile to date—an aircraft-carrier killer—during this year’s Republic Day parade, where the President of the European Council, Antonio Costa, and the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, will be present.
The Long Range Anti-Shipping Missile (LR-AShM) is a hypersonic missile being developed to arm the Indian Navy (IN) coastal batteries.
It is designed to ensure that no carrier group—US or Chinese—can approach within 1,500 km of the Indian coastline in an attempt to exert military pressure on the nation.
Currently, the Indian Navy’s coastal batteries are armed with Indo-Russian BrahMos supersonic missiles.
According to the Indian Ministry of Defense (MoD) press release, the missile follows a quasi-ballistic trajectory. It achieves hypersonic speeds starting at Mach 10, maintaining an average speed of around Mach 5.0 through a “multiple-skip” manoeuvre.
A quasi-ballistic trajectory differs from a ballistic trajectory. In the latter, the missile follows a largely predictable flight path. In contrast, a quasi-ballistic trajectory is inherently unpredictable.
Equally important, such a trajectory allows the missile to fly at relatively low altitudes, evading detection by ground- or ship-based radars during much of its flight. The missile’s extreme speed and manoeuvrability further complicate interception.
The LR-AShM has been indigenously developed by laboratories of the Dr APJ Abdul Kalam Missile Complex, Hyderabad, along with several other DRDO laboratories and industry partners.
Terminal Guidance
An anti-shipping missile carrying a conventional warhead requires extremely precise terminal guidance, given that an aircraft carrier is a fast-moving and manoeuvring target.
Typically, a long-range missile intended to strike a moving target employs a dual-mode seeker combining Active Radar Homing (ARH) and Imaging Infrared (IIR) guidance. ARH enables target acquisition and tracking in all weather and lighting conditions, while IIR facilitates target discrimination in clear weather, allowing the missile to distinguish the carrier from other warships in the strike group.
Without specifying the nature of the terminal guidance, the MoD press release states: “Indigenously developed sensors are provided for engaging moving targets in the terminal phase.”
DRDO developed and refined its ARH capability through the BrahMos programme, particularly the land-attack variant. Similarly, it honed its IIR homing capability while developing advanced variants of its Anti-Tank Guided Missiles (ATGMs).
Maiden Test
The DRDO conducted a successful flight trial of India’s first long-range hypersonic missile from Dr APJ Abdul Kalam Island, off the coast of Odisha, on November 16, 2024.
At the time of its maiden test, the MoD release referred to the LR-AShM simply as the Long Range Hypersonic Missile (LR-HM).
Missile Launch Video Analysis
DRDO released a video of the maiden test. The following observations are based on that footage.
As the missile emerged from its container following a cold launch, it appeared to employ its attitude-control thrusters twice before first-stage solid-rocket-motor ignition.
The missile transitioned from a vertical to a horizontal trajectory in roughly six seconds, beginning about eight seconds after liftoff. This early transition suggests the missile is designed to fly within the atmosphere for the entire duration of its flight.
The missile’s physical configuration indicates a two-stage solid-propellant design.
The first stage functions as a booster. The second stage is the hypersonic sustainer, featuring cruciform, short-span, long-chord aerodynamic surfaces along the mid-body and four short triangular fins at the aft section. The mid-body surfaces likely provide manoeuvrability and flight control, while the aft fins contribute to stability.
According to the MoD press release, the missile “features a two-stage solid propulsion system. The first stage separates after burnout, while the second stage boosts the vehicle to hypersonic speeds before transitioning into an unpowered glide to the target.”
At hypersonic velocities, the cruciform configuration can reduce drag compared to planar wing designs.
Future Development
As stated in the MoD press release, the missile will initially be deployed with coastal batteries. A logical progression would be upgrades enabling deployment aboard IN warships and, eventually, submarines. Such a deployment would push adversary carrier groups well beyond 1,500 km from India’s coastline.
The demonstrated cold-launch capability from a container strongly suggests eventual deployment on ships and potentially on future submarines.
China’s YJ-20
China fields several ballistic missiles with hypersonic warheads capable of anti-shipping strikes, including the DF-21D (1,500 km, Mach 10), DF-26 (4,000 km, Mach 10+), DF-17 (1,800–2,500 km, Mach 5–10), and DF-27 (5,000–8,000 km, Mach 5+).
Because ballistic missiles follow relatively predictable trajectories, they can be intercepted by ship-borne air-defence systems within a carrier group.
More recently, China has fielded hypersonic quasi-ballistic anti-ship missiles, notably the YJ-20 and YJ-21, capable of launch from air, surface, and undersea platforms.
Chinese state media released footage showing a YJ-20 launch from the PLAN Type 055 destroyer Wuxi on December 28, 2025.
The YJ-20 cruises at speeds exceeding Mach 6, has a reported range of 1,500 km, and reaches terminal speeds of Mach 10. It is compact enough for air launch from the H-6K bomber and vertical launch from Type 052D and Type 055 destroyers. It may also be deployable from both nuclear- and diesel-electric-powered submarines.
Russia’s Zircon is another hypersonic anti-shipping missile deployable from ships and submarines; however, it is a scramjet-powered cruise missile, not a boost-glide system.
YJ-20 and LR-AShM Comparison
There are notable similarities between the LR-AShM and the YJ-20.
Both are hypersonic boost-glide systems designed for anti-ship roles. However, the YJ-20 employs biconic aerodynamics, likely enhancing manoeuvrability.
Both have publicly stated ranges of around 1,500 km, though actual operational ranges are likely higher.
Both achieve Mach 5+ speeds with high terminal velocities, attack targets in a near-vertical dive, and present significant interception challenges.
Conclusion
Despite its prominent display during the Republic Day parade, the LR-AShM remains in an early stage of development.
It may take several years before DRDO can demonstrate the accuracy required to reliably cripple a manoeuvring aircraft carrier using a conventional warhead.
Given its intended deployment with coastal batteries, fitting a nuclear warhead is unlikely, even though the MoD press release notes that the missile “is designed to carry various payloads.”
- Vijainder K Thakur is a retired IAF Jaguar pilot, author, software architect, entrepreneur, and military analyst.
- Follow the author @vkthakur
