India on 19 April 2012 successfully test-fired its maiden nuclear-tipped inter-continental ballistic missile ( ICBM) Agni-V. The missile successfully struck its target ranging more than 5000 kms away from its launching point. It was test-fired from a mobile launcher at the Wheeler Island off the Orissa coast in the bay of Bengal.The missile reached an altitude of 600 km and attained velocity of 7000m/second. With the successful launch of Agni-V, India has entered into an elite group of nations (USA, Russia, China, UK and France) which has such technology.
India now has acquired the capability to hit targets in China, including Beijing, Eastern Europe, east Africa and the Australian coast. Indigenously built Agni-V is 17.5m tall, solid-fuelled, surface to surface, three-stage missile with a launch weight of 50 tons, which includes a 1.5 tonne warhead.
The DRDO (Defence Research and Development Organisation) Scientists began to work on the project of Agni-V three years ago. This was the first testing of the missile.
Important Imformation
Agni-V has multiple independently targeted re-entry (MIRV) capability. Its range is over 5000 Kms. A missile which has a range of 5500 Kms is termed as ICBM.
MIRV enables a missile to hit several targets in an area.
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