India’s 5,000-km range Agni-V has propelled India into the elite league of nations that possess long-range ballistic missiles. It is the country’s most lethal missile yet. Indian military experts have called it a game-changer and a giant leap in the country’s strategic deterrence.
While the Agni-I (700-km), Agni-II (2,000-km) and Agni-III (3,000-km) have already been inducted by the tri-Service Strategic Forces Command (SFC), the Agni-IV and Agni-V are undergoing several trails before they can be inducted in the Armed Forces in the next few years.
Here are some interesting facts about this missile that makes us all proud:
Agni-V covers a range of over 5000 kilometres. This missile can penetrate China, all of Pakistan, Europe and parts of Africa.
Agni-V can be launched from anywhere in India.
Agni-V can carry several warheads meaning it can hit different targets in an area.
It raises India’s strategic capability by leaps and bounds, as it can deliver a nuclear warhead weighing more than one tonne.
It is the country’s first long range missile with Multiple Independently-Targeted Re-entry Vehicles (MIRV) capability. The missile can carry several nuclear warheads simultaneously. In this system, each warhead is ‘earmarked’ for a separate target and air defence systems would find shooting down MIRV targets much more difficult than intercepting single missile.
Agni-V could serve as a platform for developing a full-fledged long range Inter Continental Ballistic Missile of 10,000-km.
This indigenously developed missile has the most advanced system, in terms of navigation, guidance, warhead and engine.
Being road-mobile gives the missile vital stealth capability, thus making it extremely difficult for satellites to identify its launcher.
It is equipped with very high accuracy Ring Laser Gyro based Inertial Navigation System (RINS) and Micro Navigation System (MINS) to ensure precision hit.
Agni-V can be also be used to shoot down enemy satellites in orbits.
DRDO