K-15 "Sagarika" submarine-launched ballistic missile (SLBM) undergoing qualification test 

New Delhi's vast missile arsenal is the main component of India's nuclear deterrent against bitter rivals China and Pakistan.

In what could be viewed as India's attempts at boosting its conventional missile arsenal, New Delhi is preparing to develop a twin set of new missiles, a local media reported on Thursday.

The publication noted that the long-range land-attack cruise missiles (LR-LACMs) as well as the submarine-launched cruise missiles (SLCMs) could move into the production stage in the next few years.

While the LR-LACMs would have a range of 1,500 km, the SLCMs are expected to have a range of 1,000 km.

The Defence Research and Development Organisation, India's premier organisation conducting research for the development of a new generation of weapons, has already delivered the Pralay ballistic missiles to the Armed Forces.

Pralay is a surface-to-surface, short-range ballistic missile (SRBM) that can strike enemy formations from a range of 150 to 500 kilometres. It was inducted into service by the Indian Armed Forces in December 2022.

Besides Pralay, the lynchpin of India's conventional missile stockpile is the Brahmos cruise missile.

Notably, Brahmos is widely regarded as the world's fastest supersonic cruise missile that can be launched from all three domains - land, air, and sea.

Additionally, the Brahmos missile has an underwater variant, which allows it to be launched from a submarine.

Jointly developed by India's DRDO and Russia's NPO Mashinostroyeniya, the Brahmos currently has a range of 450 km after the Indian Air Force successfully conducted trials of the extended range version of the missile in December 2022.

On the other hand, India's list of nuclear-capable missiles includes Prithvi-II (350 km range), Agni-1 (700 km), Shaurya (750 km), Agni-2 (2,000-km), Agni-3 (3,000-km), Agni-4 (4,000-km) and Agni-5 (over 5,000-km).

Besides these, India also has nuclear-powered submarines, having nuclear-tipped missiles or SSBNs as they are called in defence parlance to serve as nuclear deterrents against hostile neighbours like China and Pakistan.