Author: Defense Updates
26259View
3m 58sLenght
655Rating

INTRODUCTION: On 24th Dec India had successfully test-fired Agni 5, the country's most lethal nuclear-capable inter-continental ballistic missile. It is developed by the Defense Research and Development Organization (DRDO) of India. The Indian government had announced on April 19 2012, that it had successfully conducted the first test of the nuclear-capable Agni 5 ballistic missile. Further test were carried out in 2013. Agni 5 will be operated by India’s Strategic Forces Command (SFC). CHINESE RESPONSE: It is the first Indian ballistic missile capable of reaching almost the entire Chinese landmass, including Beijing. The test seems to have made China worried. Foreign ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying in Beijing said," We have noted reports on India's test fire of Agni-5 ballistic missile. The UN Security Council has explicit regulations on whether India can develop ballistic missiles capable of carrying nuclear weapons". China is nervous because of solid technical capabilities of the missile. Let us understand these one by one. RANGE Agni 5’s actual range is classified. Though the reported range of Agni 5 is 5800 km, it is widely believed that Agni 5 has a range of 8000 to 10000 km. India will continue to keep ambiguity over the range of the missile, probably to address the western audience who may feel uncomfortable with India’s ability to reach their shores. Defense Updates has done a thorough analysis of the range in a previous video. For that, please check the video on above card. Even with stated range of 5000 km, it can hit most parts of China. ACCURACY & SPEED It has a speed of Mach 24 and accuracy of less than 10 m. It has multiple simultaneous guidance system like Ring laser gyroscope and inertial navigation system, optionally augmented by GPS and I R N S S. Terminal guidance even possibly has radar scene correlation. The multiple guidance system makes it very hard to jam. PAYLOAD AND MIRV It is a three-stage solid fuel system. It can carry 1.5 ton of warhead. Though exact details are classified, it is also widely speculated that Agni 5, feature Multiple Independently Reentry vehicle (MIRVs). MIRV is critical, because of the following. 1. Each missile can carry 2 to 5 separate nuclear warheads. 2. Each warhead can be assigned to a different target. 3. MIRV capable missile are much harder to intercept when compare to normal missile, since they saturate Anti Ballistic Missile Defense system with ‘n’ number of warheads simultaneously. 4. MIRVs ensure a credible second-strike capability even with few missiles. CONCLUSION: India has been conscious of increasing Chinese assertiveness and belligerency. Agni 5 is India’s most powerful deterrence against any Chinese aggression.