India's most powerful missile Agni-V to be introduced soon

New Delhi : The country’s longest-range ballistic missile, Agni-V, will be inducted into the nuclear arsenal very soon, according to official sources.

Agni-V is an Intermediate Range Ballistic Missile (IRBM) with a range of over 5,000 km and can get in touch with most parts of China.

“It is a strategic asset which will act as a deterrent. We are at the fag end of the strategic project,” said an official with the Agni-V programme.

The official said the missile has been designed the latest technologies for navigation and ‘improved accuracy’. Earlier variants of the Agni series of long-range missiles have already been installed.

Last month, the canisterised variant of the missile was successfully test-fired by the user, the Strategic Forces Command (SFC). A few more user trials have been scheduled in the next few weeks.

The Agni series of missiles forms the backbone of nuclear weapons delivery in India. Credit also goes to the Prithvi short-range ballistic missiles and fighter aircraft. The submarine-based nuclear arsenal, which guarantees second strike capability in the face of the announced ‘No-First-Use policy’, is taking an outline.

Sources confirmed that in the course of introducing one nuclear ballistic missile more submarines and longer range submarine-launched ballistic missiles are taking shape in the various stages of development.