India successfully tests Agni-5 missile with MIRV technology

India successfully conducted the first flight test of the Agni-5 missile equipped with MIRV technology under Mission Divyastra. Developed by DRDO, the missile can carry multiple nuclear warheads, placing India among a select group of nations possessing advanced MIRV capabilities.

By Harikrishnan R

Hyderabad: India on Friday conducted the first successful flight test of the newly developed advanced Agni-5 missile equipped with the Multiple Independently Targeted Re-entry Vehicle (MIRV) system.

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The flight trial of the intercontinental warhead, developed by the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), was carried out from the APJ Abdul Kalam Island located off the coast of Odisha under Mission Divyastra.

“The missile was flight-tested with multiple payloads targeted at different targets spatially distributed over a large geographical area in the Indian Ocean Region,” a press release from the Press Information Bureau said.

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh complimented the DRDO and the Indian Army on the successful flight test.

“This will add incredible capability to the country’s defence preparedness against growing threat perceptions,” he said.

MIRV is a ballistic missile payload containing multiple nuclear warheads, each capable of being aimed at different targets.

With a range of over 5,000 km, Agni-5 can launch multiple warheads at varying speeds and trajectories, allowing India to target strategic locations across Asia and beyond.

With the completion of the test, Agni-5 has become the longest-range missile tested by India.

The successful test of Agni-5 also strengthens India’s ‘No First Use’ (NFU) policy regarding nuclear weapons.

The system ensures that even if India is struck first, its retaliatory strike can bypass enemy defences.

According to experts, the MIRV system can overwhelm enemy radar tracking as several payloads separate from the same missile and follow different trajectories.

The development of the payload was carried out by the DRDO with support from the Baba Atomic Research Centre (BARC) and various industries across the country.

With the successful completion of the test, India has now joined the exclusive club of nations including the US, Russia, China, the UK and France possessing MIRV technology.