India successfully test fires Nuclear Capable Agni 5 Missile

India, on December 15, 2022, successfully carried out the night trials of the Agni-5 nuclear-capable ballistic missile. The test was carried out to validate new technologies and equipment on the missile which are now lighter than before. This was the ninth test-firing of the Agni-5, first was tested in 2012. The full range of Agni-5 missile is 5,400 km. The Agni-5 now can reach most cities in mainland China, including Beijing.

The test of missile was carried out by the Strategic Forces Command (SFC) from APJ Abdul Kalam Island off the coast of Odisha. The nuclear capable missile Agni-5 has been developed by the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO). 

The Agni-5 can be equipped with the MIRV (multiple independently targetable re-entry vehicles), which means Agni-5 is capable of carrying multiple warheads. A single MIRV equipped missile can deliver multiple warheads at different targets.

As per several reports, the weight of the Agni-5 missile reduced significantly and Agni-5 will now be able to strike targets beyond 7,000 km. DRDO has reduced the weight of the missile by replacing its steel content with composite materials. The weight reduction that has been achieved in the missile system is beyond 20 per cent.

About Agni-5 Missile

Agni-5 is an ingeniously built advanced surface-to-surface ballistic missile developed by DRDO under the Integrated Guided Missile Development Programme (IGMDP). It is a fire-and-forget missile, which cannot be stopped without an interceptor missile. The Integrated Guided Missile Development Programme (IGMDP) is started by Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, who aimed at making the country self-sufficient in the field of missile technology. The program had five missiles Prithvi, Agni, Trishul, Nag, and Akash (PATNA).

Medium to Intercontinental versions of Agni missiles systems 1 to 5 have varying ranges, starting from 700 km to 7000 km for Agni-1 to Agni-5 respectively.

Surface-to-surface nuclear capable ballistic missile Agni-5 has been successfully tested multiple times since 2012. Last test was carried out successfully in October 2021 from the APJ Abdul Kalam Island in Odisha. The missile uses a three-stage solid-fuelled engine and capable of striking targets up to 5,000 km with a very high degree of accuracy.

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Er. Kamal Chauhan

Founder of World Current Affairs. Inspired to make things looks better.