What Agni-V

means for India

INDEX

India's high-five moment

India successfully launches long range missile Agni -V Images: India successfully launches missile Agni -V The sad MAD world of Agni-V What does the success of Agni -V mean for India? 04 05 07 09

All about Agni

The five things you must know about Agni-V Production of Agni-V to begin in a years time: DRDO chief Images: From Akash to Agni, Indias most powerful weapons 11 12 14

Celebrations and reactions

Agni-V launch a major milestone: Antony Agni-V launch another milestone in quest for security: PM Agni-V launch news floods Pak websites China critical of Agni-V launch, says India being swept by missile delusion Launch of Agni-V should not be seen as a threat: DRDO India poses no missile threat: NATO 21 23 24 18 19 20

India's high-five moment

India successfully launches

long range missile Agni -V

India joins elite missile club of US, Russia, France, China with the successful launch of Agni-V
FP Staff, Apr 19, 2012

ndia on Thursday successfully launched the 5000-km range surface-to-surface Agni-V, Indias first Inter-Continental Ballistic Missile (ICBM), from Wheeler Island off the Odisha coast. The test launch was originally scheduled for Wednesday, but was postponed due to bad weather. India has joined the elite club of nations having Inter Continental Ballistic Missiles (ICBM) with the successful launch of its Agni-V missile. Only the US, Russia, France and China possess the capability to operate an ICBM. Agni-V is capable of carrying nuclear warheads and will be crucial for Indias defence against China. The missile can carry a pay-load of 1

tonne, is 17 m long, 2 m wide and weighs 50 tonnes. After the missile is inducted into Indias strategic forces by 2014-2015, India will acquire a strong deterrent capacity against China. Agni-V can cover entire China, Eastern Europe, North Eastern and Eastern Africa and even Australia if fired from the Nicobar Islands. Designed and developed by Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) scientists, Agni-V has a range of 5,000 kilometres. In November last year, DRDO had successfully test fired the 3,500 km range Agni-4 missile giving muscle to Indias deterrent capability against the military adversaries.

Images: India successfully

launches missile Agni -V

Indias Agni-V missile, with a range of 5,000 kilometers being launched from Wheeler Island off India's east coast. AP

India with this launch has joined the elite club of nations capable of launching Inter Continental Ballistic Missiles. AP

Agni-V is capable of carrying nuclear warheads and will be crucial for Indias defence against China. AP

The missile is 17 m long, 2 m wide and weighs 50 tonnes. AP

The sad MAD world of Agni-V

The irony of nuclear weapons and delivery mechanisms like Agni V is for all the pride they engender in us, we now have to pray well never have to use them.
Venky Vembu, Apr 19, 2012

he only thing louder than the thunderous roar of the Agni V long-range ICBM as it blasted off this morning was the spontaneous eruption of euphoria on social media platforms that India had joined an elite club of nations with the power to vaporise enemies with long-range ICBMs. In the same way that Indias muscling its way into the club of nuclear haves in 1998 with the Pokharan nuclear tests was seen as a milestone in Indias ascendance and power projection capability, todays launch has come as an adrena-

line rush for minds dizzy with war scenarios. The fact that all of China, including its cities on the faraway eastern seaboard, are in our fiery Agni sights has given cause for focussed Sinophobic celebration. Yet, the irony of nuclear weapons and of delivery mechanisms like Agni V is that having acquired them and bolstered our pride (and our deterrent capability), we now have to pray that well never ever have to use them. Thats because the moment for which they are being

primed for use will always be too late. And even that moment will give us no pride or joy. India abides by the policy of no-first-use of nuclear weapons. That means that the only purpose that the weapons serve is as a deterrent against a nuclear attack on us. The underlying hope is that the promise of mutually assured destruction (MAD) will inhibit our enemies such as they are from doing unto us what they wouldnt us to do unto them. The only scenario in which well ever use them is on Armageddon day when our cities have been nuked to a cinder. That day will really not give any cause for celebration. The MAD theory is a bit like religious faith: we have to believe in its redemptive power. Theres no demonstrable proof that it works because its never been tested. On the other hand, its also a trump card that we cannot easily use and for that reason renders us less secure in some ways. Indicatively, if our going nuclear in 1998 was meant to give us a coat of armour against Pakistan or China (to name just two of our neighbours), its fair to say it didnt work. It didnt, for instance, inhibit Pakistan from embarking on the Kargil misadventure in 1999. In fact, Pakistan was emboldened into launching the Kargil attack only because it calculated that the prospect of two nuclear-armed neighbours

squaring up to fight would grab world attention and effectively internationalise the Kashmir issue. In the final analysis, although Indian soldiers at Kargil did score signal triumphs on the battlefield, Pakistans retreat came about not because of Indias nuclear or even conventional military strengths, but because of its coercive diplomacy: India petitioned the Bill Clinton administration, which leaned on the Pakistan government and the army to withdraw. The nuclear weapons, which were intended to protect us from pinpricks, didnt. Nor did they protect us from the November 2008 terror attacks and countless other lowintensity conflicts that Pakistan wages and the occasional border trespasses by Chinese troops. The real threat to India comes less from states that will launch an all-out war on us, and more from proxies that do just as effective a job. And you cant pull out your nuclear weapons and ICBMs against them. Thats the real madness of the MAD world of nuclear deterrence. Were convinced we need them, and we feel safe that we have them because of our capacity to obliterate the enemy. Yet, for all the momentary feel-good feeling, our nuclear arsenal and our ICBMs are costly toys that well never ever get to play with and have to pray that we never will.

Agni -V mean for India?

What does the success of

India joins an elite club of nations with the successful test of its Agni-V missile, but the launch also means it has demonstrable deterrence capabilities.

FP Staff, Apr 19, 2012 Avinash Chander, Chief Controller (Missiles and Strategic Systems) said that though India has a no first use policy, the successful test launch sends out the right message to the countries around India. Agni-V has the capability of reaching Chinese targets, but China with its huge nuclear and missile arsenal which includes the 11,200-km Dong Feng-31A ICBM capable of hitting any Indian city is far ahead in the missile race. However Dr. Chander said that India had now shown that it had the ability to respond, and that strategic deterrence was the key factor in ensuring Indias security. He added that the missile would undergo a few more tests with different payloads before it was fully operational, and said that if everything went well, it would be added to Indias military arsenal in about two years.

ndias Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) successfully test fired the Agni-V missile off the coast of Odisha today, marking Indias entry into an elite club of just four other nations who have the capability to fire Inter Continental Ballistic Missiles (ICBMs). The Agni-V which is Indias longest range missile, has a range of 5000km, and boasts a better warhead carrying capacity, and more accurate navigational system. It reportedly cost the DRDO Rs 25 billion ($486 million) to manufacture. But what does the launch of the missile mean for India as a nation? Apart from the obvious glory that comes with being part of an elite club of nations that have ICBM capability, India has also shows that it has demonstrable deterrence capabilities.

All about Agni

must know about Agni-V

Here are the top five facts you simply must know about the Agni-V
FP Staff, Apr 18, 2012

The five things you

ndia is anxiously counting down to the test flight of Indias first Inter Continental Ballistic Missile the Agni-V, which marks a significant chapter in the history of the DRDO.

ful, India will join an elite club. Only the US, Russia, France and China currently possess the capability to operate an ICBM. 2. Once launched the missile cannot be stopped, and can only be launched on the direct orders of the Prime Minister. Agni V can also be launched from the road side in a special silo. 3. Agni V can carry a one-ton payload (meaning a nuclear warhead) and is configured for carrying multiple warheads which can be guided to separate targets independently. 4. The Agni-V was built at a reported cost of Rs 25 billion ($486 million). 5. The Agni-V will be a three-stage, all solid fuel powered, 17-metre tall missile with a range of 5,000 kilometers.

A successful launch will be a significant achievement for the Indian DRDO (Defence Research and Development Organization) which embarked upon the IGMDP (Integrated Guided Missile Development Project) in 1983 under the stewardship of then PM Indira Gandhi. The missile will be launched at 1900 hours IST. Here are the top five facts you simply must know about the Agni-V: 1. The Agni-V is Indias first Inter Continental Ballistic Missile (ICBM), and will give the country the capability to strike every country in the world apart from the United States. If success-

in a years time: DRDO chief

This launch has given a message to the entire world that India has the capability to design, develop, build and manufacture missiles of this class, and we are today a missile power, VK Saraswat said.

Production of Agni-V to begin

PTI, Apr 19, 2012 major milestone in the strategic defence preparedness of the country. We are going to conduct two more tests and that will be validation tests, and then the production of this system will start. It is going to take a year maximum, he said. Saraswat said that he expected the missile to be inducted into the armed forces in the next two years. He said the successful launch of Agni-V was just the beginning of a new series of missiles. We go from here to many other missiles which will have capability for MIRV (Multiple Inde-

ew Delhi: India has emerged as a major missile power with the successful launch of Agni-V ballistic missile and the production of the weapon system would start in a years time, DRDO chief VK Saraswat said today. This launch has given a message to the entire world that India has the capability to design, develop, build and manufacture missiles of this class, and we are today a missile power, Saraswat said after the launch of the 5000 km range surface-to-surface Inter Continental Ballistic Missile (ICBM). The Defence Research and Development Organisation chief said that the missile launch was a

pendently Targetable Re-entry Vehicle), for anti-satellite system, which will also be built using this technology for launching micro, mini and nano satellite to meet the requirement of the armed forces on very, very short notice, he said. Saraswat said that barring some electronic components, the Agni-V was a completely indigenous product. More than 80 percent of the missile is indigenous, except for the electronic components which we importEverything has been designed, developed and produced in our industry and our laboratory, he said. The DRDO chief said that his organisation was working on a very tight time schedule when it came to production and deployment of the missile. We have a very tight time schedule on that. I expect that after the completion of its mandatory trials, it would be inducted in the services in the next two years to come. We have a very clear roadmap for development of missile system, Saraswat said. Giving details of todays launch, Saraswat said that the missile lifted off at 0807 hours today. It is a three-stage missile, the first stage burned out, gave the required velocity and after that it separated. Saraswat said that similarly the missile reached it second and third phases and after that it reached the crucial re-entry phase which is the most difficult phase for any ballistic missile of this range. All the re-entry conditions were perfect. The missile travelled through the re-entry, got converted into a fireball and finally (hit the target)..and all the payload parameters which result in the detonation of the warhead took place, Saraswat said.

The DRDO chief said that the launch was monitored by three ships deployed in Indian Ocean, 5000 kilometers away, and radars were also there tracking the complete trajectory. Saraswat said that the launch of the missile despite regimes placed by the developed world showed that India was becoming self-reliant in missile technology. The missile has been achieved despite the stringent missile control regimes, which developed countries have imposed on us and that shows the self-reliance in the area of this technology is now becoming a reality, he said. The DRDO chief also said that India had made a lot of progress in missile technology following which it was no longer susceptible to blackmail by others. On how indigenous technology had contributed to the launch of Agni-V, Saraswat said that most of the components like rocket motors and propellants had been made within the country. It is 80 percent indigenous, he said. When I said 80 percent, the propelling system, the rocket motors, the composite rocket motors, the propellants, the control system elements, onboard computers, mission computers, all these softwares, complete mission softwares are part of indigenous development exercise, he said. That gives us the required strength that nobody can now blackmail us as far as this technology is concerned, he said. Today we have the capability because our electronics, our navigation systems are highly miniaturised. We have developed a system on chip (such) that complete missile electronics can be resident on a single chip, he said.

Indias most powerful weapons

Images: From Akash to Agni,

Agni II is India's first long range missile with a range of 2,000ms. Agni-V's range is 5000 kms. Wikimedia Commons

BrahMos is a supersonic cruise missile that can be launched from submarines, ships, aircraft or land. Wikimedia Commons

Moskit is a Russian supersonic ramjet powered cruise missile capable of being launched from land and ships.Wikimedia Commons

Akash is India's medium range surface-to-air missile defense system. The missile can target aircraft up to 30 km away, at altitudes up to 18,000 m. Reuters

Prithvi is mobile liquid-fueled 150 kilometer tactical missile currently deployed with army units. Reuters

Celebrations and reactions

Agni-V launch a major milestone: Antony

The Defence Minister spoke with the DRDO scientists and congratulated them on the successful launch of the missile today.

PTI, Apr 19, 2012 The missile achieved all the mission parameters and has turned out to be a huge success, Defence Ministry officials said. The launch was cancelled last night due to bad weather and a spate of heavy lightning in the test range. Antony also spoke to the Agni-5 project director Dr Avinash Chander and congratulated his entire team for their hard work and dedication. DRDO took four years to develop the missile. In his conversation with Dr Saraswat and Dr Chander, Antony told them that the nation is proud of its defence scientists and recalled the contributions made by former DRDO chiefs, specially Dr M Natarajan, a brain behind success of various projects such as MBT Arjun and pioneering efforts in LCA Tejas and Pinaka MBRL projects.

ew Delhi: Defence Minister A K Antony today described the maiden test flight of Inter-Continental Ballistic Missile (ICBM) Agni-5 as an immaculate success and a major milestone. The nation stands tall today. We have joined the elite club of nations (to possess the ICBM capability), Antony told the DRDO Chief Dr V K Saraswat on phone after the test flight of the missile was declared successful today. The immaculate success of the Agni-5 is a major milestone in the countrys missile research and development programme, he said. The about 5,000 km range Agni-5 was launched from a test range at Wheeler Island off the coast of Odisha at 0807 hours and took 15 minutes to reach its target in Southern Indian Ocean.

Agni-V launch another milestone

in quest for security: PM

Manmohan Singh today hailed Indias successful Agni-V long-range nuclear-capable ballistic missile test as another milestone in the countrys quest for security, preparedness and to explore the frontiers of science.

IANS, Apr 19, 2012 quest to add to the credibility of our security and preparedness and to continuously explore the frontiers of science. The nation stands together in honouring the scientific community, he said. The Prime Ministers Office also tweeted that Manmohan Singh spoke to Saraswat personally to congratulate him and his team for the successful test. Agni-V was tested by DRDO from Wheelers Island off Odisha at 8.07 am Thursday, and it accurately hit the target about 5,000-km away, thereby helping India storm into an exclusive club of nations such as US, Russia and China that have this capability.

ew Delhi: Prime Minister Manmohan Singh Thursday hailed Indias successful Agni-V long-range nuclear-capable ballistic missile test as another milestone in the countrys quest for security, preparedness and to explore the frontiers of science. I congratulate all the scientific and technical personnel of the DRDO (Defence Research and Development Organisation) and other organisations who have worked tirelessly in our endeavour to strengthen the defence and security of our country, Manmohan Singh said in his message soon after the successful Agni-V launch was announced by DRDO chief VK Saraswat. Todays (Thursdays) successful Agni-V test launch represents another milestone in our

Agni-V launch news floods Pak websites

Pakistans leading daily Dawn ran an agency story India tests long-range nuclear-capable missile: source while The News International carried an agency story with the headline India successfully tests Agni-V missile.
IANS, Apr 19, 2012

slamabad: Pakistani websites prominently displayed the news of India successfully testing the Agni-V minutes after the longrange nuclear capable ballistic missile was launched.

with the headline India successfully tests AgniV missile. An accompanying photograph was of an Agni missile that was showcased during a Republic Day parade in New Delhi. Pakistans leading daily Dawn ran an agency story India tests long-range nuclear-capable missile: source. The story cited a defence source as saying that missile was capable of delivering a one-tonne nuclear warhead anywhere in China.

India on Thursday test-fired the Agni-V missile that can accurately hit targets more than 5,000 km away. With this launch, India entered an exclusive club of nations that have this capability. The News International carried an agency story

China critical of Agni-V launch,

says India being swept by missile delusion

Even if it has missiles that could reach most parts of China, that does not mean it will gain anything from being arrogant during disputes with China, said an editorial in a China daily.
IANS, Apr 19, 2012

eijing: India may have missiles that can reach most parts of China but stands no chance in an overall arms race with the country, a Chinese daily said Thursday, when India test-fired its 5,000 km range nuclear capable missile, and added that New Delhi would gain nothing by stirring further hostility. The article, India being swept up by missile delusion, that appeared in the op-ed section of the state-run Global Times said India apparently is hoping to enter the global intercontinental missile club, despite intercontinental missiles

normally having a range of over 8,000 km. India Thursday test-fired the Agni-V missile that can accurately hit targets more than 5,000 km away. With this launch, India entered an exclusive club of nations that have this capability. The daily noted that India has moved rapidly in developing missile technology. It successfully launched the Agni IV with a range of 3,500 km last year. Indian public opinion has long seen China as its reference point

for military development, it said. Criticising India, it said the country is still poor and lags behind in infrastructure construction, but its society is highly supportive of developing nuclear power and the West chooses to overlook Indias disregard of nuclear and missile control treaties. The West remains silent on the fact that Indias military spending increased by 17 percent in 2012 and the country has again become the largest weapons importer in the world, it said. It stressed that India should not overestimate its strength. Even if it has missiles that could reach most parts of China, that does not mean it will gain anything from being arrogant during disputes with China. India should be clear that Chinas nuclear power is stronger and more reliable. For the foreseeable future, India would stand no chance in an overall arms race with China, it warned. It went on to say that India should also not overstate the value of its Western allies and the profits it could gain from participating in a containment of China. If it equates long range strategic missiles with deterrence of China, and stirs up further hostility, it could be sorely mis-

taken. The daily advised that China and India should develop as friendly a relationship as possible. Even if this cannot be achieved, the two should at least tolerate each other and learn to coexist. It quickly added that it would be unwise for China and India to seek a balance of power by developing missiles. The geopolitics of Asia will become more dependent on the nature of Sino-Indian relations. The peace and stability of the region are crucial to both countries. China and India should both take responsibility for maintaining this peace and stability and be wary of external intervention, the article said. China understands the Indian desire to catch up with China. China, as the most appropriate strategic target for India, is willing to take India as a peaceful competitor. The daily said China and India are sensitive towards each other, but objectively speaking, China does not spend much time guarding against India, while India focuses a lot of attention on China. China hopes India will remain calm, as this would be beneficial to both giants.

Launch of Agni-V should

not be seen as a threat: DRDO

AP, Apr 19, 2012 ment on Indias security affairs. overnment officials have said the successful launch of the Agni-V missile In Washington, State Department spokesman should not be seen as a threat. Mark Toner said the United States urges all nuclear-capable states to exercise restraint reWe have a declared no-first-use policy, and all garding nuclear capabilities. our missile systems, they are not country specific. There is no threat to anybody, said Ravi That said, India has a solid non-proliferation Gupta, spokesman for the Defense Research and Development Organization (DRDO), which record, he told a news briefing. Theyre engaged with the international community on built the missile. Our missile systems are non-proliferation issues. purely for deterrence and to meet our security needs. Some reports characterized the Agni-V as an intercontinental ballistic missile which would The test came days after North Koreas failed long-range rocket launch. North Korea said the make India one of the few countries to have rocket was launched to put a satellite into space, that capability but Gupta and analysts said its range fell short of that category. but the U.S. and other countries said it was a cover for testing long-range missile technology. India has no need for such sophisticated weapons, said Rajaram Nagappa, a missile expert One Delhi-based Western diplomat dismissed and the head of the International Strategic and comparisons with the international condemSecurity Studies Program at the National Instination of North Koreas launch, saying that tute of Advanced Studies in Bangalore. Pyongyang was violating U.N. Security Council resolutions requiring it to suspend its missile I dont think our threat perceptions are anyprogram, while India is not considered a global threat. The diplomat spoke on condition of ano- thing beyond this region, he said. nymity because he was not authorized to com-

India poses no missile threat: NATO

NATO does not consider India as a missile threat despite the countrys advanced missile development programme, NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen said.
IANS, Apr 19, 2012

russels: NATO does not consider India as a missile threat despite the countrys advanced missile development programme, NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen said. India tested its domestically-developed Agni-5 ballistic missile with a range of 5,000 km this morning. The three-stage solid-fuel missile was launched from a site on Wheelers Island in the Bay of Bengal and reached its target area in southern Indian Ocean.

A successful test of the Agni-5 missile has put India in the elite club of nations having InterContinental Ballistic Missiles (ICBM), which includes the US, Russia, China, Britain and France. Speaking at a news conference at the NATO headquarters in Brussels, Rasmussen said Wednesday the Alliance does not consider India as a threat to NATO allies and territory.

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