Medium-Range Ballistic Missile is Nucelar-Capable
India’s Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) successfully test-fired the Agni-P (‘Prime’) medium-range ballistic missile on 18 December. A DRDO spokesperson said that “The missile followed textbook trajectory, meeting all mission objectives with a high level of accuracy.”
An advanced variant of the Agni family of missiles, Agni-P has a range between 1000-2,000km, is half the weight of the Agni-III and has new propulsion and guidance systems. It also incorporates technologies proven on Agni-IV (4,000km range) and Agni-V (5,000). A two-stage, canistered, solid-propellant ballistic missile with dual redundant navigation and guidance system, it can be launched from rail- or road-based platforms and stored for long periods. Flexible in storage, transport and deployment, Agni-P’s time-to-launch has been greatly improved by its canistered nature.
This was the second flight test of Agni-P, following the first in June. It has proven the reliability of all advanced technologies integrated into the system. The Agni family – including the Agni-V ICBM, constitute a mainstay of Indian nuclear capability.
