HAL's CATS Hunter Cruise Missile Stalled as IAF Pivots to Supersonic Missiles and Glide Bombs Citing Ukraine Conflict Lessons

India's pursuit of advanced aerial weaponry includes the proposed CATS Hunter Air Launched Cruise Missile (ALCM) from Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL).

Designed as a stealthy, subsonic missile capable of flying close to the surface, the Hunter can be launched from both crewed aircraft and unmanned platforms.

Despite its modern design, featuring the PTAE-7 turbojet engine, the project currently awaits approval from the Indian Air Force (IAF) and the Ministry of Defence (MoD).

The IAF's hesitation appears linked to a strategic shift favouring faster, potentially lower-cost supersonic ALCMs and powered glide bombs. This change in priority is reportedly influenced by observations from the conflict in Ukraine, where subsonic cruise missiles have shown vulnerability against contemporary air defence systems.

This evolving requirement landscape includes several competing indigenous projects like the ADE's ITCM, BrahMos Aerospace's BrahMos-NG, and JSR Dynamics' jet-powered glide bomb, creating a complex picture for India's future air-launched strike capabilities.

CATS Hunter: Design and Capability​

Developed as part of HAL's futuristic Combat Air Teaming System (CATS) initiative, the Hunter missile is engineered for precision strikes while maintaining a low profile against enemy radar. It utilizes the PTAE-7 turbojet engine and was initially conceived with a 200 km range carrying a 250 kg warhead.

Its ability to skim just above the ground or sea surface is a key feature for evading detection. While HAL had considered a reusable version, recent focus seems to be on extending the missile's range.

The Hunter's versatility is a significant aspect, designed for launch from fighters like the Su-30MKI and unmanned systems like the CATS Warrior drone – a 'loyal wingman' concept HAL is actively developing. This aligns with the global trend of integrating unmanned platforms with manned aircraft, reflecting the IAF's own vision for Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCA).

However, its subsonic speed remains a concern, especially when considering lessons from recent conflicts about the survivability of slower munitions against advanced air defences.

IAF's Strategic Reassessment​

The performance of subsonic cruise missiles in the Russia-Ukraine war has prompted a strategic rethink within the IAF. Missiles like Russia's Kalibr and Kh-101 have reportedly faced significant interception rates (estimated at 60-70% in some cases) by modern air defence systems such as the S-400, Pantsir, and Western-supplied systems like the Patriot PAC-3 used by Ukraine.

This experience suggests that slower missiles struggle against capable, integrated air defence networks. Consequently, the IAF is showing a preference for supersonic weapons that are harder to intercept and can reach targets faster.

India already operates the formidable BrahMos-A supersonic missile (flying at Mach 2.8-3.0), launched from Su-30MKI fighters. Its range has been upgraded significantly, reportedly up to 800 km for newer land-attack versions.

The Defence Acquisition Council recently approved acquiring around 250 more BrahMos missiles for the Army and Air Force. However, the high cost of BrahMos necessitates exploring more cost-effective supersonic alternatives for wider deployment.

Competing Indigenous Programmes​

The CATS Hunter is not the only indigenous system vying for the IAF's attention:

• ADE's ITCM: The DRDO's Aeronautical Development Establishment (ADE) has developed the Indigenous Technology Cruise Missile (ITCM). This subsonic missile, powered by the indigenous Manik engine, reportedly boasts a range exceeding 800 km and was successfully flight-tested in April 2024. Its lighter weight allows carriage on various IAF fighters, including Tejas, MiG-29, and Rafale, offering a potentially cost-effective long-range option, though its subsonic speed remains a factor.
• BrahMos-NG: BrahMos Aerospace is working on the BrahMos Next Generation (NG), a smaller, lighter (around 1.3-1.6 tonnes) supersonic missile compared to the BrahMos-A. Expected to reach Mach 3.5 with a range of 290-300 km, its reduced size will enable integration onto platforms like the Tejas and Rafale. It aims to retain the original BrahMos's high speed and precision, making it difficult to intercept. The first flight test is anticipated around 2026, with production potentially starting by 2027-28.
• JSR Dynamics' LRGB: Representing the private sector, JSR Dynamics offers a jet-powered version of its Long Range Glide Bomb (LRGB). By adding a small jet engine to a standard glide bomb (like the Mk-80 series warheads), this weapon achieves a range of up to 290 km. It presents a potentially cost-effective solution for stand-off strikes, balancing range and affordability, though it differs in capability from dedicated cruise missiles. DRDO has also successfully tested its own 1000kg LRGB, named 'Gaurav', achieving nearly 100 km range.

Future Prospects​

While the trend leans towards supersonic speed, the CATS Hunter's specific design features – its stealth shaping and low-altitude flight – could still provide valuable tactical advantages, particularly against less advanced air defence networks or when deployed from unmanned platforms to minimize risk in highly contested zones.

Its role within the broader CATS ecosystem, integrating manned and unmanned assets, continues to align with future air warfare concepts.

The final decision on the Hunter ALCM rests with the IAF and MoD as they balance capability requirements, cost-effectiveness, and the evolving lessons from modern battlefields.

 

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[Mc Addy]

Cruise missiles are in use so are slow flying drones, all got use if they have explosives on board so military knows best but small range cruise missiles in mountains or at sea can't be subjected to land type air defence or detection easily.Supersonic can't do easy twist and turn in mountains or at sea with stealth due to noise, IR signature and Radar appearance but cruise can do terrain following or fly close to sea like German Taurus .All got opinions , so ask Navy and Army too, Airforce can meanwhile see what it can be used .

 

[Mc Addy]

Airforce is myopic in its thinking and must dissolve into Army so atleast some attack oriented doctrine is created ,other wise it's a waste of resources.

 

[Surfer]

CAT’s hunter should be available for that first.

 

[Baiju Bhaskaran]

HAL should first develop the CATS hunter and make it available. After that they should develop the missile and integrate and test it to prove it's capability. Then it should go to IAF and MOD for orders.

 

[Rational Guy]

Supersonic BRAHMOS ALCM costs almost $1 million per piece! We need subsonic ALCM as well.

 

[VF VF1]

We need cheap ALCM, subsonic is fine. Do you think IAF will not take out radar sights first?

 

[Devastator]

First, the military has to take out radar systems of SAMs; this is where Rudram comes in. Once air defences are destroyed, low subsonic ALCMs, such as CATS, become much more effective since BrahMos is way too expensive.

 

[Sandeep]

India needs a broad variety of cruise, subsonic and hypersonic missiles so there is an indigenous requirement for our air force. The type of missile that we will use will depend on the target and if they can intercept our missile with any SAM. If they don’t have any SAM and the target is clear then we can use a cheap subsonic missile instead of using a very expensive cruise missile which achieves the same thing but one cruise missile is more expensive than the other.

Also we need to 100% indigenously design, develop and manufacture a variety of cheap hypersonic, cruise and subsonic missiles which have different ranges and different type of warheads based on the type of target.

We should also look at developing a semi stealth subsonic Hunter missile which can cost lower than any cruise or hypersonic missile. The Hunter missile will have a higher chance of hitting its target than a standard subsonic missile which can get intercepted more than a semi stealth missile but it will cost more than a standard subsonic missile.

 

[Akshat]

HAL should first develop the CATS hunter and make it available. After that they should develop the missile and integrate and test it to prove it's capability. Then it should go to IAF and MOD for orders.

That's not how defense products work bro. You usually need an anchor client for new products, especially when the cost is significant. HAL should ask for the QRs from military and develop platforms accordingly.

 

[Dredd]

Supersonic BRAHMOS ALCM costs almost $1 million per piece! We need subsonic ALCM as well.

Brahmos is among the costliest Cruise missile in the world costing upwards of 30 crores each (10 year old figure).

 

[Shiva]

Very very good decision to prefer supersonic ALCMs.
This gives us workaround for our delay in Indigenous advanced next gen aircraft development race with China.
imported Chinese aircrafts by neighboring rivals won't be in advantageous position, if we have supersonic ALCMs as a cars technology item.

 

[Abs29]

Supersonic BRAHMOS ALCM costs almost $1 million per piece! We need subsonic ALCM as well.

$1 million? It was never ever so cheap. Its latest variant Brahmos-ER costs as much as $4.85 million-$5 million per piece, while the standard Brahmos older version price is about $3.5 million per piece.