India successfully test fires indigenously developed 5000-km-range nuclear capable ballistic Missile Agni 5

Today, December 10, India successfully test fired its indigenously developed nuclear-capable long-range missile Agni V from a canister on a road-mobile launcher at the Dr Abdul Kalam Island off the coast of Odisha.

The launch operations were carried out and monitored by the Strategic Forces Command (SFC) in presence of Scientists from Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) and other associated officials.

All the mission objectives were successfully achieved. This launch comes after a series of successful launches of the missile. It further strengthens the country’s deterrence capability, which has been developed indigenously by assiduous efforts of scientists.

Agni-V is a three-stage missile, 17 metres tall, two metres wide and capable of carrying 1.5 tonnes of nuclear warheads. Unlike other missiles of the series, Agni-5 is the most advanced in terms of navigation and guidance, warhead and engine.

The first two flights of Agni-5 were in 2012 and 2013 respectively. The third, fourth and fifth launches were from canister integrated with a mobile launcher. The sixth trial was in June. Several new technologies were successfully tested during the sixth trial. India has in its armoury the Agni series – Agni-1 with 700 km range, Agni-2 with a 2,000-km range, Agni-3 and Agni-4 with 2,500 km to more than 3,500-km range.