India successfully test-fires Made In India ‘Agni-V’ ballistic missile

NewsBharati    18-Jan-2018
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Bhubaneswar, January 18: India has today successfully test-fired the Agni-V missile capable of carrying nuclear warheads from the Abdul Kalam Island defense test facility off Odisha coast. The missile covered 4,900 kilometres in 20 minutes in today's launch.

 

The inter-continental three-stage solid propellant ballistic missile has the potential to target areas exceeding 5000 km range. The test has been carried out by the Strategic Forces Command of the Indian Army. The last ICBM was tested in December 2016.

The missile is about 17 metres long, 2 metres wide and has a launch weight of around 50 tonnes. Today’s test is the fifth developmental trial of the long-range missile, carried out by the Strategic Forces Command of Indian Army to check its operational readiness. Unlike other missiles of Agni series, the latest one ‘Agni-5’ is the most advanced having new technologies incorporated with it in terms of navigation and guidance, warhead and engine.

The missile can hit most northern parts of China and other parts of Asia, Europe and Africa. Defence sources said after some few more trials, Agni-5 will be inducted into the Services.

Once this missile is inducted into Services, India will join the super exclusive club of countries with Inter-Continental Ballistic Missiles alongside the US, Russia, China, France and the UK. The last test of the missile was conducted from the same test range on December 26, 2016.

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