Defence Minister: Agni-V IRBM Ready For First Test

The Indian Agni-V intermediate range ballistic missile is ready is ready for its first test, Defence Minister AK Antony said in Hyerabad on Friday. The actual test, however, is likely to be conducted only sometime in January-March next year. DRDO sources confirmed once again that Spring 2011 was the likely time that the 5,000-km range weapon would first be tested. Notwithstanding the Minister’s comments, DRDO sources indicated that the first Agni-V was about 90 per cent complete, with minor work on the missile’s third stage and heatshield assemblies remaining. The team is also working overtime to ensure there are no quality control issues that have dogged two previous tests under the Agni programe. By November, the first missile should be complete in all respects for its first flight test, though a comprehensive routine of subsystem tests will continue till the end of the year. With the February test, the Agni-III completed its routine of tests and is now ready for induction into India’s nuclear force structure.

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44 thoughts on “Defence Minister: Agni-V IRBM Ready For First Test”

  1. Good news, I hope you read this comment session. Could you please update your previous article "Coming Soon: MMRCA BUZZ — Why The IAF Is Nervous About The Americans", its been long. MMRCA generates more interest than any, so, will wait to hear this story. Great job DRDO, great job Mr. Aroor.

  2. Bravo! Jai Ho! Jai Hind!
    DRDO working overtime to achieve the target date! This is great inspiration. looking forward for the successful test in coming months…

  3. bravo indian scientist on your achievement !!!!! but shiv sir is there a 10000-12000km range indian ICBM in the pipeline. on the net there are many rumors about a missile called surya. can u please find some info about this also? can u also give reports on the progress of nirbhay

  4. [email protected]: The Agni-V has indeed been developed to be a MIRV platform, but my information suggests actual integration and tests with MIRV will take place as a stage closer to 2013. It is possible that the MIRV'd Agni-V will be tested after the Agni-V completes its un-MIRV'd tests and is ready for op induction.

    [email protected]: India doesn't have an ICBM programme. The government doesn't believe India needs anything beyond an Agni-V. However, DRDO has stated that it has all the "building blocks" in place to put together an ICBM if is called upon to do so in the future. The Surya doesn't exist.

  5. Hi shiv, It is said that agni 5 is an ICBM of 5500 km and you say that it is an IRBM. what is the basic difference b/w (ICBM/IRBM). What is the comparison b/w the speed of agni 5 and DF

  6. @ Shiv Aroor

    Great job mate. Every morning i look forward to checking out your blog. Hope you can put some more light on MMRCA deal as well as on Indian army's modernization program, its been a while we haven't heard (good or bad) anything from IA

  7. To anonymous@ 5.41 a.m. :

    Sir,
    Funny that you see a follow-up to Agni V related announcements made earlier this year as an obtuse response to the Chinese interference and "poking their nose into others business" practice? Sadly, we have not yet learnt the art of making statements in seemingly unconnected manner..

    Your deduction would have appeared more logical if you had linked this announcement to the deployment of DF 21's in suppressed and tortured Tibet.

    To anonymous at 9.18 am :

    Old boy, we dont need an ICBM. An ICBM will only invite targeting from potential partners. We just need the following:
    1) Ability to hit Heilongjiang province and its cities from mobile launchers in the southern parts of India
    2) SLBM capabilities to reach all parts of Heilongjiang from the bay of Bengal.
    3) MIRV's and very low CEP.
    4) Operational ABM capabilities: We did note the 11 Feb 2007 "proof of concept" intercept of the Chinese FY2 satellite by its SC 19 ASAT system.

    Also noted was the very subtle co-orbital ASAT demo of 27 Sept 2008, when its Shenzou 7 passed about 45 km from the ISS. The implications are easy to deduce..
    5. Operationalised GAGAN

    Political will is called for, since the scientific & engineering abilities has existed for long.

  8. Heberian aka K-LT

    To anonymous@ 5.41 a.m. :

    Sir,
    Funny that you see a follow-up to Agni V related announcements made earlier this year as an obtuse response to the Chinese interference and "poking their nose into others business" practice? Sadly, we have not yet learnt the art of making statements in seemingly unconnected manner..

    Your deduction would have appeared more logical if you had linked this announcement to the deployment of DF 21's in suppressed and tortured Tibet.

    To anonymous at 9.18 am :

    Old boy, we dont need an ICBM. An ICBM will only invite targeting from potential partners. We just need the following:
    1) Ability to hit Heilongjiang province and its cities from mobile launchers in the southern parts of India
    2) SLBM capabilities to reach all parts of Heilongjiang from the bay of Bengal.
    3) MIRV's and very low CEP.
    4) Operational ABM capabilities: We did note the 11 Feb 2007 "proof of concept" intercept of the Chinese FY2 satellite by its SC 19 ASAT system.

    Also noted was the very subtle co-orbital ASAT demo of 27 Sept 2008, when its Shenzou 7 passed about 45 km from the ISS. The implications are easy to deduce..
    5. Operationalised GAGAN

    Political will is called for, since the scientific & engineering abilities has existed for long.

  9. Thanks Shiv for clarification.

    I was thinking same. Though Agni-V is MIRV capable, first few tests will not be with MIRV but single warhead.

    Shiv, again, you are doing a great job for the country.

  10. Heberian aka K-LT

    In my previous comment, Point no. 5 was meant to be the IRNSS (Indian Regional Navigational Satellite System) and NOT the GAGAN.

    Apologies all.

  11. Shiv,
    Well govt should rethink its policies… In international politics, no one is ur friend, so its stand that India doesn't need any ICBM is wrong…. There must be ICBM program… It will enhance India's strike capabilities…

  12. Why do they test missile only in good weather, they should be tested in all weather condtions,
    Are they hoping for a WAR in GOOD weather?????

  13. ?@shiv sir:we all know that ICBM are equipped with MIRV's which have the capability to 'fool' enemy air defences and have requisite ECM capabilities to jam enemy radar but when looking at density of SAM'' and radars deployed by china(our ma…in rival) which in fact is vey dense and is manily composed of proven and higly effective systems likeS-300 and other SAM which can engage ballistic missiles is there a possibilty that MIRV's can be successfully intercepted.can u comment on this? one more point:all countries are now moving towards developing electro-optical based ABM systems which if properly develpoed can "take out" multiple warheads with ease.so what the future of long range ballistic missiles?

  14. Indian defense planners are like our desi motorcycle manufacturers: we have 125cc, 150cc, 180cc, 200 cc bikes and so on.

    Why build this useless 5000 km toy? Just develop a single 15000 km missile and then mass produce it; it will give full coverage whether for targets in China or (whisper it) Jesusland.

    We really need two missile types for all our strategic needs:

    1. A 15000 km design.
    2. A 2500 km design.

    Creating more and more variants is only going to create logistical hell. Verifying the intergrity and maintaining so many different sub-types over their life cycle is not easy. Above all, it is not necessary.

    Quit being so afraid of US and "do the needful" already. F***** tired of my fellow desi's cowardice and mental ineptitude.

  15. anon @ 7.16
    u are yourself mentally ineptitude.the people sitting in drdo and mod are more smart than the people commenting.there is no need to strike a city close the border with a 15000km missle.these missile are more expensive than the 750 km range missilesapply common sense man.there cost runs into millions.even america had no more than 250 icbms at a time.these are not diwali rockets you buy for 2 bucks.hope such dumbos do not become M.O.D mantri.shiv ji plz do not post such dumbo-istic comments.

  16. Thats a great news…even better wud be when we hear of the MIRVed AGNI launched from Arihant class submarines.. i hope that day/news is not too far off in the future..JAI HIND!

  17. @10:16

    It is because you cannot wish away your neighbors. Sometimes I feel Australia and New Zealand are the luckiest in their geographic location. I envy them.

  18. Now paki666 are handing over Indian eternal integral region of Gilgit and Baltistan to the Red Dragon. The signs on sky must be having ominous portents.

  19. @ra:it's not surprising to find the chinese presence in the gilgit region. u can always count on pakis to hand their territory for "anti-india" use.what we need is to step up our recon and survelliance capabilities.

  20. …and we should strengthen our retaliatory powers against a red dragon designed limited war. Take a leaf from the Sino-Vietnam war. Even a limited radiation strike can also be envisaged against the red dragon, if the need be.

  21. @anonymous:u are right.with these small sized arihant class cub's there is the problem of the length of launching tubes fo missiles.there are two ways :either u reduce the length of missiles(which is very complex task and even russian struggled with it) or u make bigger sub's.as u must have heard thta india is moving towards building larger sub's and this method might solve the problem.

  22. China will eat up arunachal, ùttarakhand ladakh. Dumb ass UP Gov will sell out our country to chinese, we indians are so busy with cinema and cricket, China is giving slap after slap and we are giving forward the other face to give us one more, Pls Shiv try to report something which is of genuine concern, dont show us some dumb ass looking powerpoint slide of UCAV AMCA. We even can not build a simple reliable automatic rifle, ù reported army is unhappy with INSAAS. Shame, my only suggestion, give everything to Tata Mahindra L&T.DRDO will build only missile not the mosquito cream and pepper grenade,

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