Agni ballistic missile - Revision history

Jyoti: /* Agni-5: with a multiple-warhead capability / 2024 */

2026-07-01T21:28:38Z

‎Agni-5: with a multiple-warhead capability / 2024

Jyoti: /* Agni-V, 5000 km range */

2024-03-24T19:16:53Z

‎Agni-V, 5000 km range

Jyoti: /* Agni-V (2016) */

2021-11-09T20:51:11Z

‎Agni-V (2016)

Jyoti: /* Agni-V (2016) */

2021-07-16T12:16:32Z

‎Agni-V (2016)

Jyoti: /* Agni I: 1998 */

2021-06-21T09:05:36Z

‎Agni I: 1998

Shivam: /* Agni missile department */

2018-06-26T16:40:55Z

‎Agni missile department

Shivam at 16:38, 26 June 2018

2018-06-26T16:38:13Z

Jyoti: /* Agni-V: 2016 */

2018-05-12T23:50:22Z

‎Agni-V: 2016

Jyoti: /* Status */

2018-05-12T23:49:43Z

‎Status

Jyoti at 23:49, 12 May 2018

2018-05-12T23:49:02Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 21:28, 1 July 2026
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	India’s flight-test on Monday proved the “complex core technologies involved” in MIRV missiles but it will take time for the SFC to actually in- duct them. The test, however, displayed India’s hard-nosed intent about adding teeth to its credible nuclear deterrence against China despite an outcry from some foreign nuclear policy wonks and peaceniks. China, of course, has built a formidable arsenal of long-range missiles, with its Dong Feng-41 (DF-41) intercontinental ballistic missile having a strike range of over 12,000-km. Moreover, China now has more than 500 operational nuclear warheads, and is fully on course to reach over 1,000 warheads by 2030.		India’s flight-test on Monday proved the “complex core technologies involved” in MIRV missiles but it will take time for the SFC to actually in- duct them. The test, however, displayed India’s hard-nosed intent about adding teeth to its credible nuclear deterrence against China despite an outcry from some foreign nuclear policy wonks and peaceniks. China, of course, has built a formidable arsenal of long-range missiles, with its Dong Feng-41 (DF-41) intercontinental ballistic missile having a strike range of over 12,000-km. Moreover, China now has more than 500 operational nuclear warheads, and is fully on course to reach over 1,000 warheads by 2030.
		+
		+	==Multiple independently targeted re-entry vehicle (MIRV) system: 2026==
		+	[https://epaper.indiatimes.com/article-share?article=10_05_2026_011_004_cap_TOI Surendra.Singh, May 10, 2026: ''The Times of India'']
		+
		+	New Delhi : The defence ministry confirmed that India had successfully conducted flight-trial of an advanced Agni missile with multiple independently targeted re-entry vehicle (MIRV) system from Dr APJ Abdul Kalam Island off the Odisha coast.
		+
		+	MIRV technology allows a single ballistic missile to evade defences and deliver multiple nuclear warheads to different targets, significantly increasing its firepower. The Agni missile was flight-tested with multiple payloads, aimed at different targets spatially distributed over a large geographical area in the Indian Ocean Region, the ministry said in a statement. With this successful trial, India had once again demonstrated the capability to target multiple strategic targets using a single missile system, it said.
		+
		+	TOI had reported on the test-launch of an Agni variant.
		+
		+	This was the second known test of the advanced Agni-5, also referred to as ‘Mission Divyastra’ — an MIRV-capable iteration of Agni-5 — which was first tested in March 2024. The nuclear-capable Agni-5 has an officially declared strike range of over 5,000km, placing targets deep in Asia, including China, parts of Europe and Africa within its strike range.
		+
		+	Lauding DRDO, the Army and the industry on the successful flight-test, defence minister Rajnath Singh said, “This will add an incredible capability to the country's defence preparedness against growing threat perceptions.”
		+
		+	The telemetry and tracking of flight-trial was carried out by multiple ground and ship-based stations. These systems tracked the entire missile trajectory from lift-off to the impact of all payloads. Flight data confirmed that all mission objectives were met, the ministry statement said.

	[[Category:Defence\|A AGNI BALLISTIC MISSILEAGNI BALLISTIC MISSILE		[[Category:Defence\|A AGNI BALLISTIC MISSILEAGNI BALLISTIC MISSILE

← Older revision		Revision as of 19:16, 24 March 2024
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	Countries like the US, Russia and China have SSBNs with well over 5,000-km range submarine-launched ballistic missiles (SLBMs). India has three more SSBNs under development, with INS Arighat now slated for commissioning next year after some delay. The K-4 missiles, with a strike range of 3,500-km, in turn, will take at least one more year to be ready for induction.		Countries like the US, Russia and China have SSBNs with well over 5,000-km range submarine-launched ballistic missiles (SLBMs). India has three more SSBNs under development, with INS Arighat now slated for commissioning next year after some delay. The K-4 missiles, with a strike range of 3,500-km, in turn, will take at least one more year to be ready for induction.
		+
		+	==Agni-5: with a multiple-warhead capability / 2024==
		+	[https://epaper.indiatimes.com/article-share?article=12_03_2024_001_001_cap_TOI Rajat Pandit, March 12, 2024: ''The Times of India'']
		+
		+	New Delhi: India tested its most formidable Agni-5 ballistic missile with a multiple-warhead capability for the first time over the Bay of Bengal, in a major boost for the country’s credible strategic deterrence, especially against China.
		+
		+	The flight-test of the Agni-5 missile, which has a strike range of over 5,000-km, with MIRV (multiple independently targetable re-entry vehicle) technology under ‘Mission Divyastra’ was announced by PM Modi on X. “Proud of our DRDO scientists’ Mission Divyastra, the first flight test of indigenously developed Agni-5 missile with Multiple Independently Targetable Re-entry Vehicle Technology,” he posted. An MIRV payload means a single missile carrying several nuclear warheads, each programmed to be released at different speeds with different trajectories to hit different targets that can be hundreds of kilometres apart.
		+
		+	All Agni series of missiles inducted by the tri-service Strategic Forces Command carry only a single warhead. DRDO has been working for years for MIRVs & “manoeuvring warheads or intelligent re-entry vehicles” for the missiles to defeat enemy ballistic missile defence systems and ensure effective retaliation to a first strike by an adversary, as reported by TOI earlier.
		+
		+
		+	''' MIRV missiles can fool enemy with decoys '''
		+
		+	MIRV missiles, incidentally, can also have decoys in addition to actual warheads to fool enemy defence systems.
		+
		+	The flight-test of the three stage Agni-5 with the multiple re-entry vehicles, conducted from the Dr APJ Abdul Kalam Island off the Odisha coast on Monday afternoon, was tracked and monitored by various telemetry and radar stations. “The mission accomplished the designed parameters,” the DRDO said.
		+
		+	There was no official word on how many warheads were carried by the missile for the test. Sources, however, said the Agni-5 was tested with three warheads with a range reduced to around 3,500-km since it was the maiden MIRV flight.
		+
		+	“This system is equipped with indigenous avionics systems and high accuracy sensor packages, which ensured the re-entry vehicles reached the target points within the desired accuracy. The capability is an enunciator of India’s growing technological prowess,” said a source.
		+
		+	“With Mission Divyastra, India has joined the select group of nations who have MIRV capability. The project director is a woman and has significant contribution from women,” he added.
		+
		+	At present, while the US, UK and France have submarine-launched MIRV missiles, China has land-based ones. Russia, in turn, has both land and sea-based MIRV missiles. Pakistan, too, is developing MIRV missiles.
		+
		+	India’s flight-test on Monday proved the “complex core technologies involved” in MIRV missiles but it will take time for the SFC to actually in- duct them. The test, however, displayed India’s hard-nosed intent about adding teeth to its credible nuclear deterrence against China despite an outcry from some foreign nuclear policy wonks and peaceniks. China, of course, has built a formidable arsenal of long-range missiles, with its Dong Feng-41 (DF-41) intercontinental ballistic missile having a strike range of over 12,000-km. Moreover, China now has more than 500 operational nuclear warheads, and is fully on course to reach over 1,000 warheads by 2030.

	[[Category:Defence\|A AGNI BALLISTIC MISSILEAGNI BALLISTIC MISSILE		[[Category:Defence\|A AGNI BALLISTIC MISSILEAGNI BALLISTIC MISSILE

← Older revision		Revision as of 20:51, 9 November 2021
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	Before the test in January, the three-stage Agni-V underwent four “developmental trials”, with “open configuration” tests in April 2012 and September 2013. Then, it was test-fired from hermetically sealed canisters mounted on transport-cum-tilting launcher trucks in January, 2015 and December, 2016.		Before the test in January, the three-stage Agni-V underwent four “developmental trials”, with “open configuration” tests in April 2012 and September 2013. Then, it was test-fired from hermetically sealed canisters mounted on transport-cum-tilting launcher trucks in January, 2015 and December, 2016.
		+
		+	==Agni-V, 5000 km range==
		+	[https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/india-successfully-test-fires-surface-to-surface-ballistic-missile-agni-5/articleshow/87315237.cms Rajat Pandit, Oct 28, 2021: ''The Times of India'']
		+
		+	NEW DELHI: In a strong strategic signal to China amidst the continuing 17-month military confrontation in eastern Ladakh, India tested its most formidable missile, the over 5,000-km range Agni-V, on Wednesday evening.
		+
		+	The “successful test” of the Agni-V, which brings even the northernmost part of China within its strike envelope, is in line with India’s stated policy to have “credible minimum deterrence that underpins the commitment to no first-use (NFU)”, said the defence ministry.
		+
		+	“The missile, which uses a three-stage solid fuelled engine, is capable of striking targets at ranges up to 5,000 km with a very high degree of accuracy. It was tested for its entire range. The launch went off very well,” said an official.
		+
		+	The test was significant on two counts. One, it was the first “user-launch” of the country’s first intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) by the tri-Services Strategic Forces Command (SFC) after its induction into the armed forces. Two, this is the first time the missile, which has been tested seven times earlier, was launched during night.
		+
		+	TOI was the first to report last month that the over 50-tonne Agni-V would be test-fired in its “full operational configuration” by the SFC in October, in the first such launch since the military stand-off with China erupted in April-May last year.
		+
		+	The missile with a 1.5-tonne warhead was launched from the APJ Abdul Kalam Island, off the Odisha coast, at about 7.50 pm. Flying at 24 times the speed of sound, the missile’s trajectory and flight parameters were constantly monitored by radars, electro-optical tracking systems, telemetry stations and ships before it splashed down in the Bay of Bengal, said the official.
		+
		+	As was earlier reported by TOI, DRDO is also working to develop `multiple independently targetable re-entry vehicles' (MIRVs) for the Agni missiles but it will take at least another two years for the multiple-warhead capability to be tested. An MIRV payload basically involves a single missile carrying four to six nuclear warheads, each programmed to hit a separate target.
		+
		+	The existing single-warhead Agni-V in itself adds teeth to the deterrence posture against China, which has missiles like the Dong Feng-41 (12,000-15,000-km) that can hit any Indian city. China has also recently gone in for a huge expansion in new missile silo fields for launching nuclear-tipped ICBMs.
		+
		+	As per the latest assessment of the Stockholm International Peace Institute (SIPRI), China now possesses 350 nuclear warheads and Pakistan 165, as compared to 156 of India.
		+
		+	But India remains confident of its credible minimum deterrence. The Agni-V is operationally better than the earlier Agni variants because it is a canister-launch missile to ensure lesser maintenance as well as swifter transportation and firing.
		+
		+	The test of the 17-metre tall Agni-V test comes after a new-generation two-stage missile called Agni-Prime, with a strike range of 1,500-km, was tested on June 28. The Agni-Prime, also a canister-launch missile, will eventually replace the Agni-I (700-km) missiles in the arsenal of the SFC, which also has the Prithvi-II (350-km), Agni-II (2,000-km) and Agni-III (3,000-km) missile units.
		+	India has also for long modified some Sukhoi-30MKI, Mirage-2000 and Jaguar fighters to deliver nuclear gravity bombs. The new French-origin Rafale fighters inducted by the IAF are also capable of doing it.
		+
		+	But the third leg of India’s nuclear triad is still far away from becoming robust, represented as it is by the solitary nuclear ballistic missile submarine (SSBN) INS Arihant armed with only 750-km range K-15 missiles as of now.
		+
		+	Countries like the US, Russia and China have SSBNs with well over 5,000-km range submarine-launched ballistic missiles (SLBMs). India has three more SSBNs under development, with INS Arighat now slated for commissioning next year after some delay. The K-4 missiles, with a strike range of 3,500-km, in turn, will take at least one more year to be ready for induction.
		+
		+	[[Category:Defence\|A AGNI BALLISTIC MISSILEAGNI BALLISTIC MISSILE
		+	AGNI BALLISTIC MISSILE]]
		+	[[Category:India\|A AGNI BALLISTIC MISSILEAGNI BALLISTIC MISSILE
		+	AGNI BALLISTIC MISSILE]]
		+	[[Category:S&T\|A AGNI BALLISTIC MISSILEAGNI BALLISTIC MISSILE
		+	AGNI BALLISTIC MISSILE]]

	=Agni-P (2021)=		=Agni-P (2021)=

@@ Line 174: / Line 174: @@
 Before the test in January, the three-stage Agni-V underwent four “developmental trials”, with “open configuration” tests in April 2012 and September 2013. Then, it was test-fired from hermetically sealed canisters mounted on transport-cum-tilting launcher trucks in January, 2015 and December, 2016.
 =See also=
 [[Missiles: India]]

← Older revision		Revision as of 09:05, 21 June 2021
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	The Agni missile was not India's first ballistic missile. That distinction belonged to the Prithvi short-range ballistic missile first tested in 1988. But over the years, the Agni, now the name for a family of missiles of various ranges, has come to be the mainstay of India's strategic arsenal, capable of carrying nuclear warheads to targets over 5,000 kilometres away. The missile was first test-fired on May 22, 1989. An 18 metre long, 7 tonne Agni missile with a range of 2,500 km was successfully launched into the Bay of Bengal from the interim test range in Chandipur, Orissa, in 1983. It was one of the Indigenous Guided Missile Development Programme (IGMDP) missiles. Since 1995, five variants of the Agni missile family have been deployed and can be carried on road and rail mobile launchers. Key breakthroughs made in the programme include an all-carbon composite heat shield to deal with the temperatures of re-entry, solid rocket fuel, manoeuvrable thrusters as well as a guidance system.		The Agni missile was not India's first ballistic missile. That distinction belonged to the Prithvi short-range ballistic missile first tested in 1988. But over the years, the Agni, now the name for a family of missiles of various ranges, has come to be the mainstay of India's strategic arsenal, capable of carrying nuclear warheads to targets over 5,000 kilometres away. The missile was first test-fired on May 22, 1989. An 18 metre long, 7 tonne Agni missile with a range of 2,500 km was successfully launched into the Bay of Bengal from the interim test range in Chandipur, Orissa, in 1983. It was one of the Indigenous Guided Missile Development Programme (IGMDP) missiles. Since 1995, five variants of the Agni missile family have been deployed and can be carried on road and rail mobile launchers. Key breakthroughs made in the programme include an all-carbon composite heat shield to deal with the temperatures of re-entry, solid rocket fuel, manoeuvrable thrusters as well as a guidance system.
		+
		+	=Agni-II =
		+	==2019: test fired at night for first time==
		+	[https://epaper.timesgroup.com/Olive/ODN/TimesOfIndia/shared/ShowArticle.aspx?doc=TOIDEL%2F2019%2F11%2F17&entity=Ar01221&sk=6835FB07&mode=text Nov 17, 2019: ''The Times of India'']
		+
		+
		+	India conducted successfully the first night trial of ‘Agni-II’, its versatile surface-to-surface medium range nuclear capable missile, from Dr Abdul Kalam Island off Odisha coast, defence sources said.
		+
		+	‘Agni-II’, an intermediate range ballistic missile (IRBM), has already been inducted into the armed forces and has a strike range of 2000 km.
		+
		+	A defence official said this was the first time that the sophisticated missile was testfired at night. The 20-metre long two stage ballistic missile has a launch weight of 17 tonnes and can carry a payload of 1000 kg. PTI
		+
		+	[[Category:Defence\|A
		+	AGNI BALLISTIC MISSILE]]
		+	[[Category:India\|A
		+	AGNI BALLISTIC MISSILE]]
		+	[[Category:S&T\|A
		+	AGNI BALLISTIC MISSILE]]

	=Agni IV: 2014=		=Agni IV: 2014=

@@ Line 11: / Line 11: @@
 = Agni missile department =
 [https://www.indiatoday.in/magazine/cover-story/story/20170821-agni-missile-department-us-nato-india-icons-modern-india-1028856-2017-08-11 Amarnath K. Menon , Fire Wall “India Today” 21/8/2017]
 Named after one of the five elements of nature, Agni Missile series is the most sophisticated and lethal in the series of medium to intercontinental range ballistic missiles which were developed by India. From the start, Agni was appreciated as a distinct product and, sensing its strategic importance, separated from India's Integrated Guided Missile Development Programme. Agni-I, with a range of 700 kilometres, was first test-fired in 1989. Agni-II, an intermediate range ballistic missile, was tested in 1999. It has a range of 2,000-2,500 km and can carry both conventional and nuclear warheads. Agni-III, with a range of 3,500-5,000 km, was inducted in 2011, allowing strike capability deep inside neighbouring countries. Agni-IV was developed within a similar range but shorter flight time. It can carry a 1,000 kg payload. Agni-V, with a range of over 5,000 km, was a formidable addition to India's strategic defence. Agni's pioneer, A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, would always turn poetic when talking about it. "Friends, you now have the fire to touch the Agni," he once wrote in his notebook.
 In future, Agni-V is expected to feature the Multiple Independently Targetable Reentry Vehicle concept, with each missile capable of carrying 2 to 10 separate nuclear warheads. Each warhead can be assigned a different target. Alternatively, two or more warheads can be assigned one target. India is also developing Agni-VI, with a range of 8,000-10,000 km.
 ARMED AND READY
 Agni-V is the most sophisticated and lethal in the series of medium to intercontinental range ballistic missiles being developed by India. It can strike targets more than 5,000 km away and carry a nuclear warhead of over 1 tonne. On induction, the missile will put India in a super-exclusive club of countries with ICBMs, alongside the United States, Russia, China, France and Britain.

@@ Line 9: / Line 9: @@
 [[Category: S&T |A ]]
 [[Category: Defence |A ]]
 = Agni I: 1998=

@@ Line 35: / Line 35: @@
 “With Prithvi and Agni-I, II, III missiles already in the arsenal, Agni-IV further extends the reach and enhances India's effective deterrence capability . Agni-IV is equipped with state-ofthe-art avionics, 5th generation on-board computer and distributed architecture,“ said the DRDO.
-=Agni-V: 2016=
+=Agni-V (2016)=
 [[File: Agni-V, characteristics.jpg|Agni-V, characteristics <br/> From: [http://epaperbeta.timesofindia.com/Article.aspx?eid=31808&articlexml=India-gets-ready-to-test-ICBM-that-can-14122016009029  Rajat Pandit, December 14, 2016: ''The Times of India'']|frame|500px]]

@@ Line 113: / Line 113: @@
 There is, however, interest in ongoing DRDO work on developing “manoeuvring warheads or intelligent reentry vehicles” to defeat enemy ballistic missile defence systems, as well as MIRVs (multiple independently targetable re-entry vehicles) for the Agni missiles. An MIRV payload means one missile can carry several warheads, each for different targets.
 ==2018/Induction into the Strategic Forces Command==
 [https://epaper.timesgroup.com/Olive/ODN/TimesOfIndia/shared/ShowArticle.aspx?doc=TOIDEL%2F2018%2F05%2F12&entity=Ar01811&sk=C625F94F&mode=text  Rajat Pandit, 20 years after Pokhran-II, ICBMs on way, May 12, 2018: ''The Times of India'']
@@ Line 124: / Line 123: @@
-Defence sources on Friday said “several systems and subsystems” associated with the over 5,000-km-range missile, which brings the whole of China as well as parts of Europe and Africa under its strike range, “are being handed over” to the new Agni-V unit raised under the SFC.
+Defence sources said “several systems and subsystems” associated with the over 5,000-km-range missile, which brings the whole of China as well as parts of Europe and Africa under its strike range, “are being handed over” to the new Agni-V unit raised under the SFC.
 “The second pre-induction trial of Agni-V is slated to take place soon (the first one was on January 18 this year, after four developmental trials since April 2012). If successful like the earlier tests, the Agni-V unit with its missiles can be shifted to a strategic base,” said a source.