India's DRDO unveils BM-04 SRBM

The BM-04, India's newest short-range ballistic missile, was displayed by the Defence Research & Development Organisation at a defence exhibition in Hyderabad. (Janes/DRDO)

India's state-owned Defence Research & Development Organisation (DRDO) has unveiled a full-scale model of a new short-range ballistic missile (SRBM) named BM-04 at the Vigyan Vaibhav 2025 defence exhibition in the South Indian city of Hyderabad.

According to a DRDO information board displayed at the exhibition, which concluded on 2 March, the BM-04 is canister launched and features a two-stage solid-fuel propulsion system.

DRDO said the BM-04 has a range of 400–1,500 km and features a conventional warhead of 500 kg. It uses satellite (GPS and Indian Regional Navigation Satellite System)-aided inertial navigation for guidance and has a claimed circular error probability (CEP) of less than 30 m.

DRDO said the missile weighs 11,500 kg, has a length of 10.2 m, and a diameter of 1.2 m. On the information board, the BM-04 is depicted in a vertical launch position at the rear of a six-axle Tatra land-based launcher vehicle.

Janes analysis of BM-04 images suggests that the SRBM is designed to a boost-glide vehicle concept, consisting of a two-stage propulsion, with a re-entry vehicle (RV) mounted on top of a large boost stage.

The RV appears to have a conical-shaped body, with a base diameter slightly less than the diameter of the booster. The BM-04 appears visually similar to the DRDO's Agni I-class SRBM but with two-stage propulsion and smaller conventional payload.

According to Janes Weapons: Strategic,