Note4Students

From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :

Prelims level: Agni Missiles

Mains level: LAC skirmishes

India successfully carried out the night trials of the Agni V nuclear-capable ballistic missile days after Indian and Chinese troops clashed in Tawang district of Arunachal Pradesh.

Why in news?

It was a midnight test fire.
And there are rumours about the increased range and stealth capabilities of Agni-V missile.

Agni Missiles

Agni missiles are long range, nuclear weapons capable surface to surface ballistic missile.
The first missile of the series, Agni-I was developed under the Integrated Guided Missile Development Program (IGMDP) and tested in 1989.
After its success, Agni missile program was separated from the IGMDP upon realizing its strategic importance.
It was designated as a special program in India’s defence budget and provided adequate funds for subsequent development.

Variants of Agni missiles

Agni I: It is a Medium Range Ballistic Missile with a Range of 700-800 km.
Agni II: It is also a Medium Range Ballistic Missile with a Range more than 2000 km.
Agni III: It is also an Inter-Medium Range Ballistic Missile with Range of more than 2,500 Km
Agni IV: It is also an Inter-Medium Range Ballistic Missile with Range is more than 3,500 km and can fire from a road mobile launcher.
Agni-V: Currently it is the longest of Agni series, an Inter-Continental Ballistic Missile (ICBM) with a range of over 5,000 km.
Agni- VI: The longest of the Agni series, an Inter-Continental Ballistic Missile (ICBM) with a range of ICBM 11,000–12,000 km.

Strategic significance of Agni Missiles

The success of AGNI missiles is in line with India’s stated policy to have ‘credible minimum deterrence’ that underpins the commitment to ‘No First Use’.
What makes Agni 5 agile is that it is a “canisterised” missile. It means that the missile can be launched from road and rail platforms, making it easier for it to be deployed and launched at a quicker pace.
The canisterisation also gives the missile a longer shelf life, protecting it from the harsher climatic conditions.
While India is among the handful of nations with ICBM capability.
The next generation of the missile, Agni VI, under development, is expected to have a range of around 8,000 km.