Yet, all these sources were deliberately and systematically ignored by the Clinton Administration. Sagarika was a late entrant to India's guided missile program, which began in July 1983. It was only in 1990 that a specialised Naval group was formed to design and develop, for the first time, a cruise missile in India. It is expected to be completed by 2000, and deployed soon afterwards. The successful deployment of Sagarika would require solving two major problems - the requisite platform for deployment, and the ability to conduct a submerged launch.
Cruise missiles are clearly the weapons of the future.
They can cover considerable distances at supersonic speeds, are highly accurate, and have relatively low operating costs. They are also extremely difficult to intercept and destroy, as they can fly below 30 meters above ground to evade radar, and are small in size. The US sea-launched cruise missile, Tomahawk, with a range of 2500 km, was used with devastating effect during the Gulf War of 1991. It was involved in the initial military attack on Iraq and the pounding of Baghdad. The Indian Navy is not altogether without experience on submarines with cruise missile capabilities.