The test of the "most advanced" surface-to-surface missile called Agni-IV also launched the countdown for India to test its most ambitious strategic missile Agni-V, which will have nearICBM (intercontinental ballistic missile) capabilities with an over 5,000-km range, in December-January.
"This test has paved the way for the success of Agni-V mission, which will be launched shortly," said DRDO's chief controller (missiles and strategic systems) Avinash Chander.
Incidentally, the project director for Agni-IV is none other than Tessy Thomas, the 48-year-oldDRDO scientist who has made a mark for herself in the avowedly male bastion of strategic missiles, as reported by TOI earlier.
The Agni-IV, which failed in its earlier avtaar as "Agni-II-Prime" in December 2010, incorporates many new technologies in navigation, propulsion, avionics and other areas to represent "a quantum leap" in missile technology for India.
Having inducted the Pakistan-specific Agni-I (700-km) and Agni-II (over 2,000-km) missiles, the armed forces are now in the process of operationalising the 3,500-km Agni-III after completion of its developmental and pre-induction trials last year.
Pakistan, of course, remains slightly ahead of India in its missile arsenal, given the covert help it has got from North Korea and China for its Ghauri and Shaheen family of missiles.
The two-stage Agni-IV and three-stage Agni-V, in turn, are meant to add some much-needed credible deterrence muscle against China, which has a massive nuclear arsenal with missiles like the 11,200-km Dong Feng-31A capable of hitting any Indian city. The canister-launch Agni-V, with its high road mobility and fast-reaction ability, in particular, is being talked about as a small but sharp riposte to China.
The Agni-IV represents a significant step towards this objective. Though it was tested for a 3,000-km range from a road-mobile launcher at Wheeler's Island off the Odisha coast at 9 am on Tuesday, it can easily go up to 3,500 km.
"The missile, with a payload reduced to 800 kg from 1,000 kg, followed its trajectory, attained a height of about 900 km and reached the pre-designated target in Bay of Bengal with very high level of accuracy after a 20-minute flight," said a DRDO scientist.
"Much lighter in weight than Agni-II and Agni-III, Agni-IV is an entirely new missile with two stages of solid propulsion and a payload with re-entry heat shield. All mission objectives were fully met. All systems functioned perfectly till the end encountering re-entry temperatures of over 3,000 degree Celsius," he added.
The missile, however, will have to be tested several times before it can be ready for serial production and then induction. The Agni family of missiles, which constitute the land leg of India's quest for a fully-operational nuclear-weapon triad, have been dogged by glitches over the years.
Three launches of Agni-II variants, for instance, failed in 2009 and 2010. DRDO, however, blamed manufacturing and other problems rather than any integral design and development flaws.
Times of India
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