Trishul test flight failure disappoints Navy, DRDO

Manoj K Das & Gaurav C Sawant

Kochi / New Delhi, May 27: India's short range quick reaction surface to air Trishul missile has failed to meet ‘‘several parameters’’ during a test flight, leaving many a disappointed faces in the DRDO and the Navy. The trials are taking place at INS Dronacharya, the naval gunnery establishment at Kochi.
The recent experimental firing of the missile saw it crashing into the sea after developing ‘‘serious snags in its electronics.’’ The weapon also did not achieve several parameters needed for a quick-reaction system of Trishul’s stature, sources said.

‘‘The tests are an on going process and results are not achieved in each flight. The data has been collected and will be evaluated. It is not exactly a failure. Some parameters could not be met but whatever is needed to be done will be done,’’ a Ministry of Defence (MoD) spokesman here said.

Two missiles were fired during last week’s tests. These were the first trials to be held after April’s explosion at the Naval Armament Depot (NAD). A technician was killed when Trishul exploded while it was being assembled at the NAD on April 10.

‘‘The missile lost its bearing as soon as it began skimming over the water. The snag developed immediately after Trishul converted its flight from broad bandwidth to narrow bandwidth needed for zooming in on incoming targets,’’ sources added.

The missile couldn’t manoeuvre the waves due to this snag and failed to reach the target, sources said. The Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) has launched a probe into the failure.

Trishul, the all weather SAM is designed to counter a low-level attack and has been touted by the DRDO as India’s answer to the Patriot missile.
Development of a three-beam guidance system had been the primary cause of delay, forcing the Navy to go in for the Israeli Barak anti-missile defence system.

‘‘It is unfair to compare Trishul with Barak since both are different. This is just the 8th campaign. At times 100 test firings are required to standardise equipment. The Navy had certain points which will be evaluated now,’’ a DRDO official said.

The delay in Trishul has been a bone of contention between the Navy and the DRDO. INS Brahmputra, with the crest of a raging Rhino, was commissioned without the Trishul missile and is widely referred to as the ‘‘Rhino without horns’’ in Navy circles.

Aircraft Carrier INS Viraat was fitted with the Barak missile in absence of Trishul which was initially supposed to be inducted in 1992. Constant slippages have put a question mark on final induction of the system which is yet to be given to the Navy for user trials.

The DRDO says several trials of the missile have been successful too.

‘‘It was test fired successfully from the missile test zone using a radar line of sight guidance and powered by a two stage solid propellant system. It was was satisfactory in achieving the aim of sea skimming capability against low altitude sea target,’’ an official said.

Regarding the present failure, DRDO sources said they were hopeful of rectifying the snag soon and of preparing the missiles for another series of test firing immediately.

The Navy, however, has expressed serious reservations about the failure. With the monsoon all set to lash Kerala coasts, we don’t think another set of experimental trials would be possible before a couple of months, a top official said.