India Successfully Test-Fires Agni V Missile: Country Joins Elite Club of Nations

India successfully test-fired country’s long-range surface-to-surface Inter-Continental Ballisitic Missile (ICBM) -- Agni-V -- from the launch pad-4 of the Integrated Test Range (ITR) from Wheeler Island off Odisha coast on April 19. The missile can carry a pay-load of 1 ton and is capable of reaching deep into Asia and Europe. It is a move that would bring the emerging power into a small club of nations with intercontinental defense capabilities.
Only the permanent members of the United Nations Security Council – China, Russia, France, the United States, and the United Kingdom – along with Israel, are believed to have such long distance missiles.
Most Advanced Version
The Agni V, a three-stage, all solid fuel powered missile with multiple independent targetable re-entry vehicle (MIRV), is designed to be the most advanced version of the indigenously built Agni series. It is powered by solid rocket propellants and can be transported by road. India has tested several missiles in the past few years as part of its program, which started in the 1960s.
With a planned range of 5,000 km (3,100 miles), the Agni V will traverse 2,000 km more than any Indian missile has ever done. The present launch will see the missile first power its way to a vertical height of 500 km in the atmosphere before following a ballistic trajectory that will see it splash down in the Indian Ocean way beyond Indonesia.
A commercial jetliner would take over six hours to traverse such a distance. But Agni V, traveling at 24 times the speed of sound and 30 times faster than a commercial jet, will traverse that distance in just 18 to 20 minutes. In doing so, it will become not just the longest range ballistic missile in India's strategic armory but also its fastest. Most importantly, Agni V would put most of China's major cities, including Beijing and Shanghai, within Indian missile range.
Building Long-Range ICBMs
The test of Agni V would give India the capability of building long-range ICBMs or missiles that can reach targets of 8,000 km or more.
With a warhead weight of 1,500 kg (1.5 ton) Agni V will ultimately be capable of carrying multiple nuclear warheads giving it deadly strike capability.
Agni V would be a significant step up from the range of Agni missiles that India currently has in its armory. The latest missile will have higher payload capability, a specialized booster and a new set of road-mobile launchers. The smaller versions of the missiles like Agni-II and Agni-III are rail-mobile which poses limitations in transportation especially when keeping these hidden from overhead satellites and prying human eyes.
Agni I goes to 700 km and Agni II, 2000 km. Both these are primarily meant to target Pakistan, giving India a capability to strike its neighbor from any part of the country.
Agni III and Agni IV are missiles in the 3,000 km class meant for China and other regional neighbors. The distance though is a limitation as these classes of missiles would be unable to strike many of China's strategic cities or locations. So the need for Agni V.
Avinash Chander, DRDO's Chief Controller R&D (Missiles and Strategic Systems), said, "There are many firsts we are incorporating in Agni V, these include two all new composite motors that would propel the missile to distances bordering ICBM capabilities."
At 17 meters in height, Agni V is almost 5 stories tall and has a diameter of two meters - similar to that of the giant main sewage pipelines that are laid in most Indian cities. Agni V is short and squat as compared to India's space rockets.
Almost three years in the making, Agni V is a three-stage rocket that, has one of the most highly developed guidance systems that the DRDO has ever built to enable it to strike targets at great distance with stunning accuracy.
While the first stage motor is similar to the one used in Agni III, the second and third stage motors are brand new and built of light composite materials that are being flight tested for the first time. It reduces weight and gives the missile greater punch.
Although the first launch would be from a static harness at the Island, Agni V would have tremendous road mobility once it is fully developed. These include a canister launch which means that it gives India "stop and launch" capability from any part of the country. Once India successfully test Agni V, the country would have broken the barrier of long range ballistic missile systems.
Facts About Missile
* With a range of 5,000 km, Agni V will traverse 2,000 km more than any other Indian missile
* Traveling at 24 times the speed of sound, Agni V will traverse 5,000 km in just 20 minutes
* If successful, it will give India the capability of striking all major Chinese cities, including Shanghai
* The technology being used in Agni V will ultimately give India the capability to build ICBMs.

India Test-Fires Nuclear-Capable Prithvi-II Ballistic Missile

India successfully test-fired its indigenously developed nuclear-capable Prithvi-II ballistic missile from the Integrated Test Range (ITR)at Chandipur in Orissa on 9 June as part of the user trial by the Army. The missile mounted on a mobile launcher was test-fired from the launch complex-3 in the ITR. With a maximum striking range of 350 km, the missile is capable of carrying a pay-load of 500-1000 kg warhead.
Salient Features
According to the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), Prithvi-II missile had proved its robustness and accuracy during many trials earlier. Taken from routine production lot during earlier users trials by the Army, the missile had achieved single digit accuracy reaching close to zero Circular Error Probability (CEP).
The missile, which has features to deceive any antiballistic missiles, had demonstrated flight duration of 483 seconds reaching a peak altitude of 43.5 km in 2008 users trial. Similarly, as a part of the operational exercises by Armed forces, two Prithvi-II missiles, aimed at two different targets at 350 km from launch point of ITR, at Chandipur were successfully launched within minutes of each other on 12 October 2009 and all the mission objectives were met.
The sleek missile once again proved its accuracy when the user, tried it in a salvo mode on 27th March and 18th June 2010 from Chandipur.
It was the fourth successful Prithvi-II flight within a period of eight months. The test firing of the surface-to-surface missile, which has already been inducted into Indian armed forces, was a routine trial conducted by the personnel of the Strategic Force Command (SFC).
India's prestigious IGMDP
Prithvi, the first ballistic missile developed under the country's prestigious Integrated Guided Missile Development Program (IGMDP), is propelled by liquid propulsion twin engine.
With a length of nine meter and one meter diameter, Prithvi-II uses an advanced inertial navigation system with maneuvering trajectory. The entire trajectory of today's trial was tracked by a battery of sophisticated radars, electro-optic telemetry stations and ships launched in the down range impact point area in the Bay of Bengal for the post-launch analysis
Ambitious Strategic Missile
India finally plans to test its most ambitious strategic missile Agni-V, with near intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) capabilities, this December after some delay. With high road mobility, fast-reaction ability and a strike range over 5,000km, Agni-V would even bring China's northernmost regions within its nuclear strike envelope if ever required.
The Armed Forces are already inducting the two-stage 3,500-km Agni-III after completion of its developmental and pre-induction trials last year, having earlier operationalized the Pakistan-specific Agni-I (700 km) and Agni-II (more than 2,000 km) missiles.
The Agni-V, in turn, is meant to add some much needed credible deterrence muscle against China, which has a massive nuclear arsenal with missiles like the 11,200-km Dong Feng-31A capable of hitting any Indian city.
For one, it will be quite easy to store and swiftly transport the 17.5-metre tall Agni-V by road since it's a canister launch missile system, unlike the earlier Agni missiles. If fired from the North-East, for instance, it would be able to hit China's city of Habin.
For another, Agni-V would also carry multiple independently targetable reentry vehicles (MIRV) payloads being concurrently developed. A single MIRV-ed missile can deliver multiple warheads at different targets even if they are separated by long distances.