BALASORE, ODISHA: India’s Agni Series will see the test launch of its fifth missile today at Wheeler Island off the Odisha coast. The intercontinental ballistic missile with a range of 6,000 kms is developed by the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) of India. The series is one of the missile systems under the original Integrated Guided Missile Development Program. The three stage, solid propellant missile is to be test-fired from a mobile launcher from the launch complex-4 of the Integrated Test Range (ITR).
The indigenously developed intercontinental missile can supposedly hit targets in even north of China. Its dimensions read as length of 17-metres, width of 2-metre and has launch weight of around 50 tonnes. The missile can carry a nuclear warhead of more than one tonne. It is also the most advanced of all the other missiles in the series with state-of-the-art navigational and guidance technology incorporated into it. The high accuracy Ring Laser Gyro based Inertial Navigation System (RINS) and impressively accurate Micro Navigation System (MINS) provide such characteristic features to Agni V and have proved its accuracy to be under 10m.
Besides the test launch today, there have been three previous test launches. The first one was held on 19 April 2012 at 08.05 am from Wheeler Island off the coast of Odisha. The flight time was around 20 minutes with the re-entry vehicle reaching an altitude of 100 kilometres into the atmosphere. The second and third tests were also conducted off the Wheeler Island on 15th September 2013 and 31st January 2015 respectively. All the three times, Agni-V showcased its accuracy impeccably.
“The Agni-5 is specially tailored for road-mobility,” explained Avinash Chander, Director, ASL. “With the canister having been successfully developed, all India’s future land-based strategic missiles will be canisterised as well.” And although many nations like U.S.A., U.K., People’s Republic of China, etc., had concerns about the missile, NATO secretary confirmed that it didn’t pose any nuclear threat but was just to be seen as an advancement of technology.
India has at present in its armory of Agni series, Agni-1 with 700 km range, Agni-2 with 2,000 km range, Agni-3 and Agni-4 with 2,500 km to more than 3500 km range. If Agni V passed this inspection and a few other trials, it will soon be inducted into the services as reported by the concerned officials.
