SS-45 Missile

The Indian SS-45 Missile program was an offshoot of Project Devil SAM and a predecessor of the Prithvi (missile).

Description

The SS-45 missile was a surface-to-surface variant of the Devil missile with strap down inertial navigation system (SDINS) supported by computer that would implement control, guidance and navigation. Its computer was built in Special Purpose Computer Division (SPCD) of Defence Research and Development Laboratory (DRDL) and was powered by an off the shelf LSIV03 (PDP equivalent) processor module. Other interfaces for Gyros, Accelerometers, Telemetry, Launch control etc. were developed in various in house PCB facilities in India.

Test Launch

On its first launch, the SS-45 missile took off from an inclined launcher. However, within two seconds after the closure of the guidance loop, an abort mechanism (provided as an alternative to command destruction system) took over, sensing malfunction, and dipped the missile into the sea.

Telemetry results that were received for 13 seconds were good and it was found later that the crystal oscillator appeared to have failed thus stopping the computer. It was India's first indigenous guided surface-to-surface missile test. There was no further test of this configuration.

See also

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