Agni-5 is primarily for enhancing India’s nuclear deterrence against China as it has a range of 5,000-7,000 km. Image/PTI
India on Monday tested Mission Divyastra — the first flight test of the indigenously developed Agni-5 missile with Multiple Independently Targetable Reentry Vehicle (MIRV) technology. It became the sixth nation after the P5 countries to have this kind of capability with MIRV technology
The major announcement on the Agni-5 missile from Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday is also a big message to Beijing and further strengthens the government’s image of ensuring the security of the nation against adversaries like Pakistan and China.
India on Monday tested Mission Divyastra — the first flight test of the indigenously developed Agni-5 missile with Multiple Independently Targetable Reentry Vehicle (MIRV) technology. The Prime Minister announced this on social media platform X.
India will be the sixth nation after the P5 countries (China, France, Russia, the United Kingdom, and the United States) to have this kind of capability with MIRV technology.
Agni-5 is primarily for enhancing India’s nuclear deterrence against China as it has a range of 5,000-7,000 km. In November 2021, India tested the nuclear-capable version of Agni-5 successfully. On 15 December 2022, the first night trial of Agni-5 was successfully carried out by the Strategic Forces Command (SFC) from Abdul Kalam Island, Odisha.
The new test, however, goes much beyond, officials said.
“This (the latest test) will ensure that a single missile can deploy multiple warheads at different locations. With the test of Mission Divyastra, India has joined the select group of nations who have MIRV capability,” government officials said.
The project director is a woman and it has significant women’s contribution, they added.
This system is equipped with indigenous Avionics systems and high-accuracy sensor packages, which ensure that the re-entry vehicles reach the target points within the desired accuracy. The capability is an enunciator of India’s growing technological prowess, government officials said.
