M A I N   N E W S

Agni-V with 5,000-km range to be test-fired in coming Feb
Tribune News Service

New Delhi, November 16
India today announced its intent to test a nuclear-warhead capable ballistic missile in February 2012 that can travel more than 5,000 km - bringing vast parts of its rapidly emerging neighbour China within striking range. Named Agni-V, it can be fired from a road-mobile launch pad and this will put India closer to the missile capabilities of nations like the US, Russia and China.

In missile terminology, Agni-V will be classified just short of the inter-continental ballistic missiles (ICBMs) - that have a range of 5,500 km or more.

The US, Russia and China have ICBMs that can hit targets more than 9,000-11,000 km away. As it falls short by 500 km, the Agni-V will be categorised as a ‘sub-ICBM’. Chinese ICBM, Dong Feng 31, can target areas over a 11,000-km range while Russia and US have had such capabilities from the days of the Cold War.

The Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), buoyed by yesterday’s successful launch of nuclear-capable Agni-IV having a range of 3,000 km, today said that it would take 2-3 years for the Agni-V to be inducted into the armed forces.

DRDO chief VK Saraswat said, “The Agni-IV test gives us the strength to test Agni-V. The two have similar technologies, though Agni-V will be a three-stage propulsion system instead of the two-phase propulsion system of the Agni-IV”.

The Agni-V will have higher payload capability, a specialised booster and a new set of road-mobile launchers. The smaller versions of the missiles like Agni-II and Agni-III are rail-mobile which poses limitations in transportation especially when keeping these hidden from overhead satellites and prying human eyes.

Tessy Thomas, Director of the Agni-IV programme, said, “It is a tremendous feeling.” For Thomas, who is the first woman Director of a strategic missile programme, it was special as the Agni-IV was carrying technology which was new and largely indigenous.

Dr Saraswat, clarified that “unlike the Cold War (when the USSR and US raced against each other in war technology), we are not competing with China.” He went on to said that “technology control regimes - restrictions imposed on India by the developed world during the 1990s - had helped us.”

“It prompted us to do better and develop our own systems,” the DRDO boss said while adding “We now produce our own titanium, high-grade steel (that withstands 3,000°C temperature when the missile re-enters the atmosphere while travelling at very high speed), composite carbon

fibre and automated missile guidance technology. All this provides performance that is far better than globally available systems.”