The K-15 Sagarika is an Indian submarine-launched ballistic missile (SLBM) with a range of approximately 700 km.

Sagarika Development

Development of the Sagarika is thought to have begun in the 1990s.¹ The Sagarika has a maximum range of 700 km and is powered by a two-stage solid propellant motor. It has a reported length of 10.8 m, a body diameter of 0.8 m, and a launch weight of 5,500 to 6,300 kg. The payload can be HE or nuclear with a weight of 500 to 800 kg. The missile likely depends on inertial navigation for guidance and may possess a radar-based terminal homing system..² Its short range would likely preclude it from being used as a survivable strike option against China, as it would require the Indian submarine to be able to launch from the South China Sea. Similarly, the K-15 would also not be able to target Islamabad in Pakistan due to its range constraints.³ Because of this limited operational utility, the Sagarika is most likely an R&D platform for the development of a longer-range SLBM. Between 2004 and 2008, it reportedly underwent 10 different test firings with the first fully integrated test in January 2010.⁴

Shaurya Development

Early testing of the Shaurya happened on land, with many suggesting that it was the land-based version of the Sagarika after tests in 2008 and 2011.⁵ The missile underwent its first undersea launch in March 2014 from a submerged barge, also demonstrating an expanded range of 3,000 km.⁶ The missile was tested again, firing at a depressed trajectory from an undersea barge and allegedly to a range of 3,500 km.⁷

Technical details on the Shaurya are difficult to ascertain, as the program is held as a tight secret. Jane’s estimates that the Shaurya has essentially the same characteristics as the Sagarika, including the similar short-range, treating the missile as essentially a ground-launched version.⁸ Others have reported that it is longer at about 12 meters and weighs around 17 tons with the ability to carry up to a 2 ton payload.⁹ While Hans Kristensen and Robert Norris suggest that the Indian SLBM will have to be adjusted to successfully carry the Shaurya,¹⁰ others claim that the missile has already been tested from the Arihant.¹¹ It is likely that the missile is intended to carry a nuclear payload to complete India’s nuclear triad of delivery vehicles and could likely be outfitted with other conventional payloads.