India tests Agni-5 missile capable of multiple nuclear strikes

The locally developed Agni-5 missile with MIRV technology was tested on Friday from Dr APJ Abdul Kalam Island, Odisha, a step towards further strengthening the country’s strategic deterrence capability. “The missile was flight-tested with multiple payloads, …(directed at) different targets spatially distributed over a large geographical area in the IndianIndianIndian Ocean Region,” the defence ministry said, adding that flight data confirmed all mission objectives were met.

Telemetry and tracking were carried out by multiple ground- and ship-based stations. These systems tracked the missile trajectory from lift-off to impact. “With this successful trial, India once again demonstrated the capability to target multiple strategic targets using a single missile system,” it added.

There was no official word on how many warheads the MIRV version of Agni-5 can carry, though military scientists tracking the project pegged the number at four or five. This will add “an incredible capability to the country’s defence preparedness against growing threat perceptions,” defence minister Rajnath Singh said.