BALLISTIC MISSILE ‘AGNI PRIME’

  • Recently, the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) successfully test-fired the new generation nuclear-capable ballistic missile ‘Agni Prime’.
  • This is the second test of the missile, the first test took place in June 2021.
  • The Agni-P missile aims to further strengthen India’s credible deterrence capabilities.

Important points:

  • Agni-P is a two-stage canisterised solid propellant missile with dual redundant navigation and guidance system.
  • It has been termed as a new generation advanced variant of Agni class of missiles with improved parameters, including manoeuvring and accuracy.
  • Canisterisation of missiles reduces the time required to launch the missile while improving the storage and ease of handling.
  • The surface-to-surface ballistic missile has a range of 1,000 to 2,000 km.
  • Agni class of missiles are the mainstay of India’s nuclear launch capability, which also includes the Prithvi short-range ballistic missiles, submarine launched ballistic missiles and fighter aircraft.
  • Agni-V, an Inter-Continental Ballistic Missile (ICBM) with a range of over 5,000 km, had been tested several times and validated for induction.
  • The Agni-P and Agni-5 ballistic missiles trace their origins back to the Integrated Guided Missile Development Programme (IGMDP), which was spearheaded by former DRDO chief and ex-Indian president Dr APJ Abdul Kalam in the early 1980s.

Other Ranges of Agni Missiles:

  1. Agni I: Range of 700-800 km.
  2. Agni II: Range more than 2000 km.
  3. Agni III: Range of more than 2,500 Km
  4. Agni IV: Range is more than 3,500 km and can fire from a road mobile launcher.
  5. Agni-V: The longest of the Agni series, an Inter-Continental Ballistic Missile (ICBM) with a range of over 5,000 km.

India:

  • Under the Integrated Guided Missile Development Programme (IGMP) first came Prithvi, then Agni.
  • BrahMos, at 2.5-3 times the speed of sound, was among the fastest in the world when developed.
  • India is working on Agni VI and Agni VII, which should have a much longer range.

SOURCE: THE HINDU,THE ECONOMIC TIMES,MINT

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