By Arsh Rampal
India has recently conducted a successful launch of its Agni V missile. The tests were conducted from Abdul Kalam Island, off the coast of Odisha on 18th January, 2018 at 9:53 in the morning. The test launch is said to have satisfied all the objectives and India will soon move into production of the Agni-V missile.
The landmark launch of Agni V
The Agni V is a three-stage Inter-Continental Ballistic Missile (ICBM). It is Indias longest-range nuclear-capable surface-to-surface ballistic missile with a range of approximately 5500 kilometres. The exact range of the missile has been kept classified. The missile is capable of carrying nuclear warheads up to 1500 kilograms.
This test is the fifth consecutive test of the Agni V with the last test being in December 2016. There have been previous tests in 2012, 2013 and 2015 as well which have all been successful. The initial two tests conducted had the Agni-V in open configuration whereas the last three tests had the missile in a deliverable configuration. In the deliverable configuration, the missile is fired from a sealed canister mounted on a mobile transporter launcher. This gives India a massive advantage as it makes it easier for the armed forces to swiftly transport the missile and fire it from any location they want, thus cutting down on the response time for a retaliatory strike.
India joins the ICBM group
The successful test of the Agni-V has several advantages the first of which is in boosting Indias position as a growing power in the world. India with the successful launch of Agni-V has joined an exclusive group of countries which have ICBM capabilities and is the only country which is not a permanent member of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) with such capabilities. This reaffirms the countrys indigenous missile capability and has put India into one of the leading contenders in the arms race.
The second most crucial advantage the tests have is the upgrade it provides for the defence of India. India is surrounded by two nuclear attack capable countries, Pakistan and China and India does not maintain friendly relations with either of them. It is in constant conflict with the two nations with regards to its territory. With Pakistan, the Kashmir issue has been a long-standing conflict and China has repeatedly encroached Indias borders in the northeast. It is extremely crucial for India to showcase its defence capabilities to both Pakistan and China in order to deter them from attacking India. The previous versions of the Agni-V have been successful in deterring Pakistan, however, those missiles had a much smaller range and thus could not have had a significant impact upon China as a deterrent. The Agni-V is much more advanced than its predecessors and is a threat to China as well and thus helps in securing Indias eastern front slightly.
Indian military and Agni VI
With the latest successful test of the Agni-V, India is soon to begin its production and its training of the military accordingly for its efficient use in the case of its need. India is also working on another ICBM, the Agni-VI which is a four-stage ICBM. The Agni-VI will have Manoeuvrable re-entry vehicle (MaRV) capability as well. The Agni VI is said to have a range that can hit targets beyond the range of 10,000 kilometres thus making it the highest range ballistic missile in Indias arsenal once its production starts.
The Agni-V has strengthened Indias military might, however, it still lacks certain key facets. There has been no significant successful deal in the defence sector under the Make in India program and even though India has one of the largest armies in the world, the technology employed by it gives it a major disadvantage. In order to successfully secure India and project itself as a military superpower, it is imperative that India works on improving the defence sector in all areas.
Featured image source: Wikimedia