India successfully launches canister version of Agni V "China Killer" ICBM

  

Marking another technological milestone in the country’s missile programme, the maiden canister-based trial of India’s most potent strategic missile, Agni-V was successfully carried out for its full range of more than 5,000 km from the Wheeler Island, off the Odisha coast on Saturday.

  A DRDO missile technologist who was associated with the launch described it as a grand success and said it was a perfect launch. Another missile technologist said it would be the footprint for future configuration of Agni-V.

India to test missiles including long-range Agni-V

      India's Defence Research and Development Organization under the country's defense ministry is preparing to test various intercontinental ballistic missiles with the ability to attack targets in the Far East, Africa and even Europe according to the official website of the People's Liberation Army's China Defense Science and Technology Information Center.

PLA's DF-31B ICBM 'poses threat to US national security'

     

     After China tested its DF-31B intercontinental ballistic missile on Sept. 2, the Washington-based Strategy Page said that this new missile with a range of 10,000 poses a serious challenge to the national security of the United States.

The report said that China is estimated to have 400 missiles with the capability to carry nuclear warheads. Only a few dozen of them including the DF-5, the DF-31A/B and the DF-41 can reach the United States, however. China is believed to have had about 24 DF-5 missiles in service over the past 20 years. Even though they are capable of reaching the United States, few of them were believed to be operational because of reliability and maintenance problems.

India Dares China-Agni-V missile successfully test launched from Wheeler Island off Odisha coast

BALASORE (ODISHA): India on Sunday conducted a second test flight of its indigenously developed nuclear- capable 'Agni-V' long-range ballistic missile, which has a strike range of more than 5000 km, from the Wheeler Island off Odisha coast.

The three stage, solid propellant missile was test-fired from a mobile launcher from the launch complex-4 of the Integrated Test Range (ITR) at about 8:50am, defence sources said.

India planning two more tests of long-range Agni-5 missile

         Seeking to enhance its long-range strike capabilities, India is planning to carry out two more tests of its over 5,000-km range Agni-5 ballistic missile this year after which it would be ready for operational deployment. 
        "We are planning to carry out two more tests of the Agni-5 missile and they are likely to be held this year after which it would be ready for induction into operational service," DRDO spokesperson Ravi Gupta said here. India had joined the elite club of nations with such capability including the US, Russia and China when it carried out the first test of Agni-5 in April last year.
        India is also planning to equip its most powerful missile with multiple warheads.

DRDO faces four critical 'tests' in coming months

India may have again successfully test-fired the 2,000-km range Agni-II missile on Sunday but the actual mettle of defence scientists will be on trial in four critical tests slated over the next few months.
As per the presentation given to the Cabinet Committee on Security last Thursday, these will be the sea trials of nuclear submarine INS Arihant and the test-firing of its K-15 missile, another test of the two-tier ballistic missile defence (BMD) system and, to cap it all, the second firing of the over 5,000-km Agni-V intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM), say sources.
None of these weapon systems, however, is anywhere close to actually being inducted into the armed forces. Yes, the scientists have done well in developing such extremely complex systems. But all the big talk of India gate-crashing into "super-exclusive'' clubs of nuclear submarines, SLBMs (submarine-launched ballistic missiles), ICBMs or BMD systems is meaningless at this stage. 
       As per the fresh timelines, the country's first indigenous nuclear-powered submarine, the 6,000-tonne INS Arihant, is now finally getting ready to begin its long-awaited sea trials next month. Since it was "launched'' at Visakhapatnam in July 2009, the submarine has been undergoing harbour-acceptance trials on "shore-based steam'' till now. Now, after its miniature 83 mw pressurized light-water reactor goes "critical'', INS Arihant will have to undergo extensive "sea-acceptance trials'' for well over a year, as also test-fire the 750-km range K-15 SLBMs. India's long-elusive nuclear weapon triad will be completed only after INS Arihant becomes fully-operational around end-2014.
         Then, DRDO plans to test the three-stage Agni-V, which will bring the whole of China within its strike envelope, around June. Tested for the first time in April 2012, Agni-V will require at least three more "repeatable'' tests before it can glide into the production phase for eventual induction by 2015-2016. "An over 6,000-km range Agni-VI is also being planned,'' said a source. 
          DRDO is also hoping for the eighth "successful'' test of its BMD system, designed to track and destroy incoming ballistic missiles both inside (endo) and outside (exo) the earth's atmosphere, "within the next 30-40 days''. This missile shield has not been tested in an integrated mode, with both endo and exo interceptors together, till now. But DRDO is confident the BMD Phase-I system, which is supposed to intercept enemy missiles with a 2,000-km range, can be ready for deployment by 2014-2015. The Phase-II will tackle 5,000-km range missiles.