Agni 5 with MIRV technology

• Context (IE | TH | HT | PIB | IE | IE): India declared the successful test of the indigenously developed Agni-5 missile on Monday. The test was named Mission Divyastra.
• The missile can carry multiple warheads, targeting multiple locations at the same time.
• The test was carried out from Dr APJ Abdul Kalam Island, off the coast of Odisha, which hosts India’s integrated missile test range.
• The project was steered by a woman scientist of DRDO, and it involved other women scientists too.

Agni missiles

• Agni missiles are the mainland-based delivery systems for India’s nuclear weapons.
• The initial Agni missiles were created in the 1990s and entered armed forces deployment in the mid-2000s.
• Ranging from Agni-1 to Agni-IV, these missiles cover distances between 700 to 3,500 km and carry single payloads weighing 12 to 40 kilotons.
• Agni-5, the latest version with MIRV technology, surpasses 5,000 km in range and could potentially reach the intercontinental range of 5,500 km and beyond.
• The next generation Agni-6 missile is currently under development.

Agni-5 missiles

• In 2007, India declared the development of Agni V.
• Agni-5 missiles are long-range missiles (5,000 km) created by DRDO.
• It uses a three-stage solid fuelled engine.
• It is capable of carrying nuclear warheads.
• It is aimed mainly at thwarting China’s challenge.
• The latest Agni variant features MIRV (Multiple Independently Targetable Re-entry Vehicle) technology.

  

MIRV technology

• The MIRV can target multiple targets that can be hundreds of kilometers apart with a single missile.
• Warheads on MIRVed missiles can be released from the missile at different speeds and in different directions.
• As of now, the United States, Russia, China, France and the United Kingdom are known to have MIRV-equipped missiles. India has now joined the club.
• Pakistan too has claimed to have tested an MIRV-equipped missile called Ababeel, first in 2017 and then in 2023.
• MIRV-equipped missiles have never been used so far in any conflict situation.

Advantages of MIRV technology

• Prevent an imbalance in land-based ballistic missile forces, as India has a limited number of missiles targeting Chinese cities.
• Ensure India doesn’t lag too far behind in establishing a credible sea-based nuclear deterrent, given China’s more advanced program for nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarines (SSBNs).
• MIRVs has the ability to penetrate missile defence systems. So it is seen as a hedge against the potential deployment of a ballistic missile defence system by China in the future.
• With its ability to inflict severe damage in a retaliatory strike it can act as a powerful deterrent to potential adversaries.