Indian Surya missile, if successful would be able to strike targets in US

The Surya ICBM is an unconfirmed ICBM program that has been discussed repeatedly in the Indian press. It is reported that the program began in 1994; the missile design is thought to be based on the PSLV.

Although the existence of this program is doubted by some, the amount of public discussion, to include budget figures, have led many analyst to suspect that such a program exists. 30 It is generally thought that the missile will have a range of 8000-12,000 kilometers. There are evidences to support the development of Surya 2 which will have a 20,000 km range. If such a missile should achieve a 12,000 kilometer range, it would be able to strike targets in the United States north of an arc extending from Raleigh, NC to Eugene, OR (if launched from New Delhi).

The Surya-1 and -2 will be classified as a strategic weapon. It will likely be used to extend the Indian nuclear deterrent force to targets deeper within China. India can only hit a limited number of targets within China, even upon the completion of the Agni-3 missile. The development of a true ICBM would make almost any strategic target within China vulnerable and decrease India's relative weakness. This would develop a credible deterrent for India against any Chinese aggression.

The Surya-1 will have an expected range of some 8,000 km (4971 miles). It reportedly has a length of 40 m and a launch weight of 80,000 kg. As the missile has yet to be developed, the payload and warhead are as yet unknown. It is believed to be a three-stage design, with the first two stages using solid propellant and the third-stage using liquid.

The Surya-2 is a longer-ranged variant of the Surya-1. It has a reported range of ~20,000km.