Balasore: The fifth and final test of the intercontinental surface to surface ballistic missile lethal Agni V was successfully launched from Abdul Kalam (Wheeler) Island off the coast of Odisha on Thursday. The missile test-fired at around 9.53am and hit the destination with expected precision, said official sources.
India’s ingeniously developed this intercontinental surface to surface ballistic missile and it can hit the target within 20 minutes, said a source in DRDO. It is the country’s most potent nuclear-capable ballistic missile.
On 26 December 2016, a canister mounted version was test fired, which can help transport the missile to a place and then fired from there. This will give advantage over rivals. The canister also helps keep the missile in appropriate atmosphere, a defence scientist said.
The three stage, solid propellant missile was test-fired from a mobile launcher (tetra truck) from the launch complex-4 of the Integrated Test Range (ITR) off Odisha coast. Indian strategic Force Command (SFC) conducted this test.
The Agni-5 can carry a single nuclear warhead of over 1.5 tonne. When fired, a gas generator at the bottom of the canister pushes the 17.5 metre long, 50-tonne Agni-5 out of the canister. The missile can take on targets situated more than 5,000 to 5,500 km away, said a senior defence analyst.
The first test flight of the Agni-5 on April 19, 2012 was a phenomenal success after which India joined the intercontinental club. China, Russia, France, UK and USA have such capabilities. The missile, powered by three-stage solid rocket motors had a flawless, spectacular launch in auto mode and followed its entire trajectory in textbook manner, dropping the three motors at predefined stages into the ocean. The ships located in midrange and at the target point tracked it and witnessed the final event. All the radars, electro-optical systems, ship-based and those based on ground stations along the path monitored the performance parameters of the missile and displayed information in real time. All the systems and subsystems of the missile, such as the launch system, navigation system, control systems, rocket motors, the re-entry package etc. performed well, defence sources added.
The Agni-V’s range is carefully calibrated; it can reach targets anywhere except for America, Europe and Australia. DRDO sources said that, in case of need, the lethal Agni-5 could easily be ramped up into an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM), with a range of more than 5,500 km.
The first test of the long-range Agni V was conducted on 19 April 2012, second on 15 September 2015, third test was on 31 January 2015 and the fourth test on 26 December 2016. All the five tests were successful.
