New Delhi: In secretive defense labs tucked deep inside India, a new missile is quietly taking shape. It has been named Vishnu a title that is cosmic, divine and destructive when needed.
It is being designed to travel at hypersonic speeds.
When Vishnu is ready, it will be nearly impossible to stop it. No radar will see it. No air defense shield will catch it. It will dive from the sky like a streak of fire. It will carry a nuclear payload. It will not be a test of aim. It will be a show of resolve.
But in this global arms race, India is not the only one building such a phantom. The title of the most advanced hypersonic missile today belongs to Russia. And it is not even close.
They call it Avangard. It is not a missile in the traditional sense. It is a glide vehicle. It rides on top of an intercontinental ballistic missile before detaching and slicing through the atmosphere at over Mach 27. That is up to 33,000 kmph. Faster than a bullet. More maneuverable than any interceptor can predict. Even the United States has not figured out how to block it.
Russia revealed Avangard to the world in 2019. It can carry a nuclear warhead powerful enough to level an entire city. Its range? Over 10,000 kilometres. No country has tested anything like it. Once launched, it twists and turns, confuses tracking systems and arrives without warning. It is silent. It is final.
Indias Vishnu, once operational, will be a different beast multi-role, versatile and swift. Speeds are expected to reach Mach 10, nearly 12,000 kmph, enough to evade most current defense systems. Range estimates suggest up to 5,000 kilometres. It can be launched from land, air or sea. It will carry nuclear weapons. It will possess deep-strike capabilities. It will make a statement India is no longer catching up. It is ready to lead.
The weapons full name hints at its ambition Vehicle for Integrated and Strategic Hypersonic Navigation and Utility. Long name. Short fuse.
What does this mean for India? It redraws the map of deterrence. With Vishnu, India will respond to threats and redefine balance. It moves closer to matching Russia and China, especially in hypersonic warfare. Pakistan, with its aging systems, falls far behind.
Right now, Vishnu is under development. The Defense Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) is refining the design, simulating launches and preparing for trials. Once operational, Indias defense posture could change overnight.
In the sky above Asia, a new force is about to arrive. It will not blink. It will not pause. It will strike like Vishnu sudden, swift and unstoppable.