New Delhi: The Dhvani missile, capable of speeds exceeding Mach 5–6 (around 7,400 km/h), represents a breakthrough in India’s strategic deterrence program. Unlike conventional cruise missiles, it employs a two-stage system where a rocket booster propels it to high altitude before releasing the Hypersonic Glide Vehicle, which then maneuvers at blistering speeds toward its target. This flight profile, paired with its ability to perform complex mid-air maneuvers, makes interception by advanced missile defenses—including Israel’s Iron Dome and America’s THAAD—extremely difficult.

DRDO has spent years advancing hypersonic technology through its Hypersonic Technology Demonstrator Vehicle (HSTDV) program, validating scramjet propulsion and achieving over 1,000 seconds of continuous ground tests. Engineers have also developed ultra-high-temperature ceramic composites and advanced thermal barrier coatings capable of withstanding reentry heat of up to 3,000°C, along with scramjet fuels that enhance cooling and ignition performance.

The hypersonic push falls under DRDO’s broader Project Vishnu, which envisions a dozen hypersonic weapon systems. Just this July, the Extended Trajectory-Long Duration Hypersonic Cruise Missile achieved Mach 8 with a 1,500 km range, underscoring the pace of progress.

Defense experts project that Dhvani will vastly outmatch India’s current BrahMos supersonic cruise missile, offering both land and sea strike capabilities with near-impossible interceptability. Future versions are expected to extend to intercontinental ranges of up to 10,000 km. India’s armed forces have already projected requirements for at least 500 hypersonic missiles after 2030.

With China expanding its military reach in the Indo-Pacific and Pakistan strengthening ties with Turkey, India’s entry into the hypersonic weapons club is seen as a “game-changer” for regional security and the global balance of power.