After securing a “credible minimum nuclear deterrent” with a proven nuclear triad and securing the highly vulnerable Siliguri Corridor (Chickens Neck) along with the northeastern states from the aggression of the Peoples’ Republic of China, the Narendra Modi Government is looking forward to moving towards a conventional warhead missile deterrent according to an HT report published on April 17, 2023.
The Indian Armed Forces are also responsible for protecting the Himalayan nation of Bhutan, which has a ceremonial military force unable to tackle China.
Indian national security planners have placed two powerful conventional missiles: Pralay and Nirbhay, in the northeastern region. Both rockets are conventionally armed subsonic missiles with a range of 500km and 1500km, respectively.
The Peoples Liberation Army (PLA) has deployed its rocket regiments along the LAC (Line of Actual Control.), which include: HQ-16 Surface to Air missiles across the Siliguri Corridor to threaten Indian airspace.
In such a scenario, India must combat China through missile deployment and construct hardened shelters for the Indian Air Force (IAF) fighters and ammunition depots.
The Pralay and Nirbhay, missile development trials have been completed to the satisfaction of missile developer DRDO. User trials are expected soon, with the Ministry of Defence (MoD) placing orders on the Pralay Missile.
The conventional deterrent is backed by the nuclear arsenal of India with a proven capability of a second strike and survival of the block in the wake of the first strike. India has a no-first-use policy on nuclear weapons with the Agni Series of Missiles, air delivery platforms and submarine-launched nuclear ballistic missiles.
Today, China is overtly deploying its nuclear deterrent with new missile silos in Hami in Hotan Province, Yumen in Gansu Province, and Hanggin Banner in Inner Mongolia to ward off American aggression towards the Middle Kingdom.
As per the US national security advisers, the Hami nuclear missiles in the Taklamakan Desert in East Turkestan have no less than 230 missile silos in the open to tell the world about robust Chinese missile capability.
Its nuclear arsenal is fronted by conventionally armed ballistic and cruise missiles to take on the adversary. While the PLA is developing new sites, Chinese aggression in Taiwan is accurate, and a call for submission to ASEAN Countries, including Cambodia and Laos client states.
Only the Philippines have decided to stand up against the Communist Party of China (CPC), with most ASEAN countries leaning towards China due to mounting BRI debt.
To further complicate matters for India, China is supplying 039 class diesel attack submarines and armed drones to client state Pakistan with a sinister objective to make India’s front vulnerable.
For this reason, the Indian Navy is expected to give the contract of three more Scorpene submarines to Mazagon Docks Limited (MDL) and strengthen conventionally armed rocket and missile forces on the Western Border.
