BHUBANESWAR: AMID China’s concern over India’s inter-continental missile capabilities, the pre-induction test of country’s longest range nuke-capable surface-to-surface ballistic missile Agni-V was successfully conducted from Abdul Kalam Island, a part of Integrated Test Range (ITR), off Odisha coast on Thursday. This makes the weapon ready for induction and its series of production.
The most sophisticated and complex 5000-km range weapon system capable of delivering nuclear warhead with high precision blasted off from a canister at about 9.53 am.
“In a major boost to the defence capabilities of our country, the Made-in-India canistered Inter-Continental Ballistic Missile (ICBM) missile, having three stages of propulsion, was successfully test fired,” Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman tweeted after the mission and congratulated the DRDO, Armed Forces and defence industry.
The entire mission team celebrated the moment as the missile pierced into the sky, spewing thick yellow and white smoke. This was the fifth test of the missile and the third consecutive trial from canister on a road mobile launcher. All the five missions have been successful.Defence sources said flight performance of the indigenously built missile was tracked and monitored by radars, range stations and tracking systems all through the mission. All objectives of the mission have been successfully met.
“The successful test of Agni-V reaffirms the country’s indigenous missile capabilities and further strengthens our credible deterrence. It demonstrated the maturity, repeatability and robustness of the system, paving the way for initiation of its production and subsequent induction,” said a defence official over phone from New Delhi.“We are ready to go further and the system has to get inducted fast. Three consecutive success of the canisterised version of the missile has proved that the design is perfect. Now, the missile is ready for production,” the official told ‘The Express’.
The missile, powered by three-stage solid rocket motors had in fact a flawless, spectacular launch in auto mode and followed its entire trajectory in textbook manner, dropping the three motors at predefined stages into the Bay of Bengal.Commanded by the on-board computer with a support of highly accurate ring laser gyro-based inertial navigation system, the missile hit the designated target point accurately after travelling just over 4,800 km in 19 minutes, meeting all mission objectives.
Personnel of Strategic Forces Command (SFC) were also present during all the operations to get acquainted with the system and trained.With Agni-V in its arsenal, India is a member of the super-exclusive club of countries including USA, UK, Russia, China and France which have ICBM capabilities. President Ram Nath Kovind, Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik and a host of other Union Ministers and Chief Ministers have congratulated DRDO for the spectacular success.
Dynamics
Agni-V is the country’s first inter-continental range ballistic missile, capable of hitting targets in all Asian countries and parts of Africa and Europe
17-metre long, 2-metre wide, three-stage solid-fuelled missile
1.5 tonne payload carrying capacity
50 tonnes weight