India is one of the most rapidly growing nation with such a huge infant power and unrivalled powerful weapons.Day by day Indian Armed forces updating itself by new and most powerful weapons and technologies which help them to stand in front of any threat.As we know the India is heavily dependent on foreign suppliers for equipment as the local industry hasn’t able to delivered as promised.

This article covers the top 20 most Powerful weapons of Indian Armed forces.No doubt after seeing this list you came to know that most of the weapons are foreign supplied but Indians have modified according to their requirement and made them more powerful,accurate and Most deadliest weapons ever.I know the article is lengthy but definitely I’ll sure you after reading this article you don’t left with any doubt about the present most powerful weapons in Indian Armed forces.So here we Start….Just sit and enjoy the reading.

TOP 20 Most Powerful Weapons in INDIAN ARMED FORCES 2016

1)Su-30Mki-The Fighter

The Su-30Mki is the best ever aircraft made to serve its service in Indian Air force.It is the cream of Indian Air Force.The twin-jet Air Superiority Fighter designed and developed by Russia’s Sukhoi and built under licence by India’s Hindustan Aeronautics limited (HAL).It is the heavy long range all weather fighter that introduced in IAF in September 27,2002 and with his unrivalled capabilities IAF today has more than 200 Sukhoi Su-30Mki’s.

The aircraft has a outstanding aerodynamic configuration and integrated with unmatched avionics suite.The aircraft is well known for its performance ; it can fly with a speed of 2100 km/h and has rate of climb of 230m/s.Moreover it is equipped with 30mm GSH-1 gun with 12 hardpoints,6 types of Air-to-Air missiles,antiship,cruise and air to surface missile and 6 types of Bombs.By 2016 it will integrated with BrahMos and Nirbhay missile which would give it strike capabilities that have never seen before in IAF.

2)Brahmos missile-The Game Finisher

BRAHMOS is a short range ramjet supersonic cruise missile developed by BrahMos Aerospace Private Limited which is formed by a Joint venture between Russian Federation’s NPO Mashinostroeyenia and India’s Defence Research and development Organisation(DRDO).It can be launched from submarines,ships,aircraft or land.It is considered the world’s fastest cruise missile in operation.

This is the best missile in the Indian Armed forces with its outstanding performance.It is better than other existing state-of-art subsonic cruise missile by various factors like it is 3 times more faster than any other missile in Indian Armed Forces,It has 3 times more flight range,3 to 4 times more seeker range and 9 times more kinetic energy than any other subsonic cruise missile.The missile has identical configuration for land,sea an sub-sea platforms and uses a Transport Launch Canister (TLC) for transportation,storage and Lunch.

The ship based weapons complex and Land based weapon complex version are in service but the Air Launch version is in Progress.With the growing demands the next version Brahmos-II is also launched within few years.

3)Arjun Mark-II Main Battle Tank

Arjun Mark-II the Main Battle tank in Indian Armed forces is the deadliest weapon . The Arjun Mark 2 is an advanced third generation main battle tank and an upgraded version of the Arjun main battle tank with several improvements.It was developed by DRDO .The Arjun MK.2 has the improved protection,fire-power and mobility than its predecessor.The Tank has total of 13 major improvements with 93 of total upgrades.

The Arjun Mark II tank can perform well under various circumstances,such as driving across cross-country over rugged sand Dunes easily,Detecting,observing and quickly engaging targets. It has advanced hydro-pneumatic suspension system which consists of each side of seven dual rubber-tyred road-wheels with the drive sprocket at the rear,idler at the front and track-return rollers.The MBT is integrated with advanced Armaments,Avionics and Accessories .A Remote Controlled Weapon Station mounted on top of the turret with 12.7mm NSVT machine gun.With the unmatched capabilities and unrivalled performance it is the Wall for Enemies in Indian Army.

4)INS Vikramaditya-Floating airfield and Mini city

INS Vikramaditya is the King of Indian ocean.It is the best aircraft carrier in the Indian Armed Forces. Once integrated, INS Vikramaditya will bring transformational capabilities to the Indian Navy and will be a ‘game changer’.

INS Vikramaditya is a modified Kiev-class aircraft carrier which entered into service with the Indian Navy in 2013. She was commissioned on 16 November 2013 at a ceremony held at Severodvinsk, Russia. On 14 June 2014, Prime Minister of India Narendra Modi formally inducted INS Vikramaditya into the Indian Navy and dedicated it to the nation.

As the Modified Kiev-class aircraft carrier it has the 45,400 tons of loaded displacement.It is 283.5 metres long and has 22 decks.It has 6 turbo alternators and 6 diesel alternators are installed that are capable of generating 18 Mwatt of power.Whereas 8 turbo-pressurised boilers,4 shafts,4 geared steam turbines are responsible for propulsion generating 180,000 horsepower .The aircraft carrier has a range of 7000 nautical miles at its full speed :32 knots (59km/h).Tha aircraft carrier has the capacity if loading up to 36 maximum aircrafts including 30 Mikoyan MiG-29k multi role fighters and 6 x Kamov ka-31 AEW&C and Kamov ka-28 ASW Helicopters.

5) INS Chakra-Shark made of Steel

INS Chakra is a Russia-made, nuclear-propelled, hunter-killer submarine of Indian. Unlike conventional submarines that India operates which need to surface to charge their batteries often – sometimes as frequently as 24 hours-INS Chakra can stay under water as long as it wants.Its ability to stay underwater is restrained only by human endurance to Stay Underwater. INS Chakra has been taken on lease from Russia for 10 years and would provide the Navy the opportunity to train personnel and operate such nuclear-powered vessels.

The akula class submarine submarine carry conventional weapons: four 533mm and four 650mm torpedo tubes that will be used to hunt and kill enemy ships.The Submarine can displaces 8140 tons and can do over at 30 knots twice the speed of any other submarine.It is the quietest nuclear submarine around with the 80 crew members on Board.

6)Agni V-The killer Missile

Agni-V is an intercontinental ballistic missile developed by the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) of India. Agni V is part of the Agni series of missiles, one of the missile systems under the original Integrated Guided Missile Development Program.The agni V has the maximum operational range of 8000 km. and Carry nuclear warhead of 1000kg with the speed of Mach 24 and can hit the target with the accuracy of less than 10m.

Agni V is the most successful ICBM missile of India. The indigenously developed, intercontinental, surface to surface, nuclear capable ballistic missile is unlike other missiles in the Agni series. Agni-V is the most advanced system so far, which has various new technologies incorporated in it in terms of navigation and guidance, warhead and engine.

7)Phalcon Awacs

India was late in entering the Airborne Early Warning and Control System (AWACS) scene, but the entry of India was bang with the most advanced AWACS in the world. In January 2004, India and Israel signed a $1.1 billion contract for 3 Phalcon airborne warning and control system (AWACS) aircraft, as part of a $1.5 billion tripartite agreement with Russia. With the arrival of its first IL-76 Phalcon, India joined the global ranks of AWACS operators. The aircraft has to monitor huge swathes of Indian airspace, intercept communications and log radar frequencies, add some ground surveillance, and help command IAF responses. By 2012 India announced that it wanted to follow up on that procurement with native capabilities.

The AWACS consists of an Israeli Elta EL/W-2090 radar mounted on a Russian II-76 aircraft. This radar is a 360 ° Active electronically Scanning Array (AESA) which is mounted inside a dome on top of the Il-76. The speciality of the radar is that it is stationary as its beams are electronically steered as well, which eliminates the need for the radar to be steered mechanically. This allows it to track targets 10 times faster when compared to well-known systems like the E-3 Sentry. It has an integrated IFF system, Electronic Counter Measures (ECM) and ECCM suites for self-protection, Electronic Intelligence (ELINT) for collecting data about enemy radars and monitoring communications and SatCom systems

8)INS Vikrant Undocked

INS Vikrant (IAC-I) is the first aircraft carrier built in India and the first Vikrant-class aircraft carrier built by Cochin Shipyard (CSL) for the Indian Navy.
The vikrant-class-carrier is 262 metres (860 ft) long and 60 metres (200 ft) wide, and displaces about 40,000 metric tons (39,000 long tons). It features a Short Take-Off But Arrested Recovery (STOBAR) configuration with a ski-jump. The deck is designed to enable aircraft such as the MiG-29K to operate from the carrier. It is expected to carry an air group of up to 30 aircraft, which will include up to 30 fixed-wing aircraft, primarily the Mikoyan MiG-29K and the naval variant of the HAL Tejas Mark 2, besides carrying 10 Kamov Ka-31 or Westland Sea King helicopters. The Ka-31 will fulfill the airborne early warning (AEW) role and the Sea King will provide anti-submarine warfare (ASW) capability.

Vikrant is powered by four General Electric LM2500+ gas turbines on two shafts, generating over 80 megawatts (110,000 hp) of power. The gearboxes for the carriers were designed and supplied by Electron Engineering.

9)Barak 8-Shield for Incomming missiles

Naval Barak-8 is a long-range anti-air and anti-missile naval defence system being developed jointly by Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) and the Defence Research & Development Organisation (DRDO) of India. Surface-to-air missiles (SAM) can counter attack aircraft, UAVs and incoming anti-ship missiles. The missile entered service with the Indian Navy in 2013.

In January 2006, India and Israel signed a $350m agreement to co-develop a new generation long-range surface-to-air missile (LR-SAM) for Indian Navy ships.In April 2009, Israel signed a $1.1bn contract to deliver an upgraded Barak-8 air defence system to India. Deliveries are expected to be concluded by 2017.
On 10 November 2014 the Barak 8 was successfully test fired in Israel with all integrated operational components for both the marine & land system.In December 2014 it was reported that destroyer INS Kolkata, the largest warship built in India, will fire a long-range surface-to-air missile (LR-SAM) for the first time in 2015.

10)T-90s Bheeshma-The destroyer

The T-90 is a Russian third-generation main battle tank that is a modernisation of the T-72. It is the latest development in the T-series of Russian tanks and represents an increase in firepower, mobility and protection. It is manufactured by Uralvagonzavod in Nizhnyi Tagil, Russia.The T-90S entered service with the Russian Army in 1992. In February 2001, the Indian Army signed a contract for 310 T-90S tanks, Out of which 120 were delivered completely, 90 in semi knocked down kits and 100 in complete knocked down kits.

The T-90 weighs around 46 tonnes and has a new diesel engine,jaming system,laser warning receivers.The main armament of T-90 is 125mm smoothbore gun with 43 rounds and a 12.7 mm heavy machine gun is also mounted on the tank that is operated manually as well as remotely controlled from the inside the turret by the commander.It has a crew members of 3.

After a series of imports from Russia, finally India got the licence to manufacture the T-90S. Russia supplied documents for the local manufacture of the tank in India. A T-90S Bhishma tank was thus manufactured by the Heavy Vehicles Factory at Avadi, Tamil Nadu on January 7, 2004. Following which 10 others were manufactured by the end of 2009.

11)P-81 Neptune-Maritime Surveillance Aircraft

The P-8I Neptune is a variant of the US Navy’s P-8A Poseidon multi-mission maritime patrol aircraft (MPA). The government of India selected the P-8I long-range maritime reconnaissance and anti-submarine warfare aircraft by signing a $2.1 billion contract on January 1, 2009. The Indian Navy will take delivery of eight aircraft between 2013 and 2015. They will carry out anti-submarine warfare missions; search and rescue; maritime interdiction; and long-range intelligence, surveillance, target acquisition and reconnaissance. In July 2015, India ordered four additional aircraft.

This is the best aircraft to protect India’s 7500 km stretched coastline and hundred of Islands which need protection and where costly build submarines and aircraft carriers are difficult to reach.

12)NAMICA (NAG Missile carrier)-DRDO’s Anti Tank weapon

This is considered the one of the ghost weapon developed by India as many of us don’t even know about it.It is the mainly the 3rd generation Nag “fire-and-forget” anti-tank missile developed in India that is mounted on BMP-2 tank.It is one of five missile systems developed by the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) under the Integrated Guided Missile Development Program (IGMDP).

It contains 8 Nag missiles in armoured box launchers and a further 8 more for reload with a complete optical and IR sensor suite to detect enemy tanks.The missiles are work on fire and forget principle which increases their capability of hiting the target at even more than 5 kms of range.The target engaged in any conditions whether day or Night.It has the capability to cross any water body in the battlefield just like an amphibian.
The Indian Army has placed an initial order for 13 Namicas and 443 Nag missiles. They have projected a requirement for 200 Namicas and 7000 Nag missiles.

13)INS Kolkata-Largest Destroyer Warship

INS Kolkata is the lead ship of the Kolkata-class guided-missile destroyers of the Indian Navy. She was constructed at Mazagon Dock Limited (MDL), and was handed over to the navy on 10 July 2014 after completing her sea trials. The ship was officially commissioned by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in a ceremony on 16 August 2014

The Kolkata-Class Destroyer has 163m long and displaces 7500 tons.It has a crew of 250 members on Board.It has a range of 15,000 km with the speed of 56km/h.The INS kolkata is integrated with anti-air Barak 8 missiles ,Anti-ship/land attack Brahmos missiles and 76mm melara SRGM guns.It also has Anti-submarine torpedo tubes which are useful in detecting enemy subs.

With the advanced sensors and processing systems and Electronic warfare and decoys it is one o the best Kolkata Class destroyer in Indian Navy.

14) PAD/AAD Ballistic Missile defence (BMD) System

The Indian Ballistic Missile Defence Programme is an initiative to develop and deploy a multi-layered ballistic missile defence system to protect from ballistic missile attacks.Introduced in light of the ballistic missile threat from Pakistan and China, it is a double-tiered system consisting of two interceptor missiles, namely the Prithvi Air Defence (PAD) missile for high altitude interception, and the Advanced Air Defence (AAD) Missile for lower altitude interception. The two-tiered shield should be able to intercept any incoming missile launched 5,000 kilometres away.

PAD was tested in November 2006, followed by AAD in December 2007. With the test of the PAD missile, India became the fourth country to have successfully developed an Anti-ballistic missile system, after United States, Russia, Israel. On 6 March 2009, India again successfully tested its missile defence shield, during which an incoming “enemy” missile was intercepted at an altitude of 75 km.

PAD uses long range tracking radar for target acquisition and fire control. LRTR is an active phased array radar capable of tracking 200 targets within a range of 600km.The improved missile is equipped with a gimballed directional warhead, a technology currently used by US and Russia. Trajectory optimisation enables interception at both higher and lower altitudes.The PAD missile is being replaced with PDV which can engage RBMs of up to 2,000km range.

15)Pinaka MLRS-Multi Launch Rocket System

Pinaka is a multiple rocket launcher produced in India and developed by the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) for the Indian Army.It is the India’s long range replacement for the vintage BM-21 Grad MLRS(Multi Launch Rocket System).It entered in Service in 1998 as a 40 km range system and consists of 12 rockets mounted on an 8X8 truck with NBC protection.An improved variant with 65 km range rockets is currently in service.

Pinaka is a complete MBRL system, each Pinaka battery consists of: six launcher vehicles, each with 12 rockets; six loader-replenishment vehicles; three replenishment vehicles; two Command Post vehicle (one stand by) with a Fire Control computer, and the DIGICORA MET radar. A battery of six launchers can neutralize an area of 1000 mx 800 m.
There are different modes of operation namely Autonomous mode,stand alone mode,Remote mode and manual mode.

16)INS Arihant-Nuclear SUB

INS Arihant is the lead ship of India’s Arihant class of nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarines. The 6,000 tonne vessel was built under the Advanced Technology Vessel (ATV) project at the Ship Building Centre in Visakhapatnam, based on the Russian Akula-1 design. INS Arihant was introduced to the public on 26 July 2009 at a symbolic launch ceremony by then Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s wife Gursharan Kaur. The launch coincided with the tenth anniversary of the conclusion of the Kargil War and consisted of floating the vessel by flooding the dry dock.

The Arihant class ballistic missile submarine has 111m long and has surface displacement of 6000 tonnes.It has installed power unit that can capable of creaing 83 Mwatt of power.One turbine one shaft one-7 bladed high skew propeller is responsible for the propulsion.It has the unlimited range except y food supplies.It has crew of 95-100 members .The submarine has the special USHUS sonar that is used to detect enemy ships and subs .It is armed with 533 mm torpedoes and K-15 Sagarika SLBM anti ship missile that is used to destroy ships and other submarines.

17)Prithvi 3-SRBM

Prithvi is a tactical surface-to-surface short-range ballistic missile (SRBM) developed by DRDO of India under the Integrated Guided Missile Development Program (IGMDP). It is deployed by India’s Strategic Forces Command.

Prithvi 3 is the variant of Prithvi missiles .It is two stage surface-to-surface Short range Ballistic (SRBM) missile.It has a length of 8.56 m and has launch weight of 5600 kg.It is being launched from road-mobile launcher and also from submarines.It has single nuclear warhead of 10-20 kT.It has a range of 300-350 km. Reports suggest that a submarine-launched version of the Prithvi 3 is in development. This version would likely have a substantially increased range between 600 and 1000 km.Its accuracy is also supposed to be less than that of BrahMos supersonic Cruise missile.

18)INS Kalvari-Scorpene Submarine

The diesel-electric powered Scorpene submarine to be called INS Kalvari after commissioning will undergo extensive sea trials before it is cleared to formally join the Indian Navy. The diesel-electric submarines are being built at the state-run Mazgaon docks in Mumbai; they are expected to be inducted into the Navy by 2018, about four years later than planned.

The project has also over-shot the budget by nearly Rs. 5,000 crore and is expected to cost about Rs. 23,000 crore. “One (Scorpene) submarine will be delivered every nine months,” said Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar.

The state-of-the-art features of the Scorpene include superior stealth and ability to launch a crippling attack on the enemy using precision guided weapons. The attack can be launched with torpedoes, as well as tube launched anti-ship missiles, whilst underwater or on surface.It is designed to operate in all theatres including the tropics. All means and communications are provided to ensure interoperability with other components of a naval task force. It can undertake multifarious warfare, anti-submarine warfare, intelligence gathering, mine laying, area surveillance etc.

19)LCA Tejas-India’s Pride

The Tejas single-seat,single-engine,lightweight ,high agility supersonic multirole fighter aircraft developed by Hindustan Aeronautics Limited.It comes from Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) ,programme which began in 1980s to replace the India’s ageing Mig-21 Fighters.later on then Prime Minister of India Atal Bihari Vajpayee officially named the aircraft as “Tejas” meaning “Radiant”.It is the fourth + genration combat aircraft present in Indian Armed Forces.

The Tejas took off its maiden flight in January 4,2001 and introduced in Indian Air force in January 17,2015.T he design and development programme is being led by the Aeronautical Development Agency (ADA) of the Indian Department of Defence with the Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) as the prime contractor.

The LCA integrates modern design concepts like static instability, digital fly-by-wire flight control system, integrated avionics, glass cockpit, primary composite structure, multi-mode radar, microprocessor based utility and brake management systems. Short takeoff and landing, high manoeuvrability with excellent maintainability and a wide range of weapon fit are some of Tejas’ features. Two aircraft technology demonstrators are powered by single GE F404/F2J3 augmented turbofan engines. For maintenance the aircraft has more than five hundred Line Replaceable Units (LRSs), each tested for performance and capability to meet the severe operational conditions to be encountered.

20)Akash-India’s SAM

Akash is a medium-range mobile surface-to-air missile defence system developed by the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), Ordnance Factories Board and Bharat Electronics (BEL) in India. The missile system can target aircraft up to 30 km away, at altitudes up to 18,000 m.It has the capability to “neutralise aerial targets like fighter jets, cruise missiles and air-to-surface missiles” as well as ballistic missiles.It is in operational service with the Indian Army and the Indian Air Force.

Conclusion

From this article surely you get the brief idea about the power and capabilities of Indian Armed Forces.All the Powerful weapons which I found best are covered here.I missed many other weapons but here I covered only top 20.