The Agni V is an Indian nuclear-capable intercontinental ballistic missile developed by the Defense Research and Development Organization. The missile’s range is estimated to be 5,000 to 8,000 km. A three-stage mobile solid-propelled ICBM transported by truck and launched through a canister.
Highlights
The Agni 5 is a three-stage solid-propelled ICBM and mobile. Intercontinental ballistic missiles are missiles with a minimum range of 5,500 km that can carry nuclear weapons. Agni Vs are transported by truck and fired from canisters.
Rockets are easily transported by truck. The canister is made from maraging steel. Maraging steels are known for their excellent toughness without any loss of ductility. They are low in carbon. The maraging steel container provides an airtight atmosphere to the rocket. This prolongs the life of the rocket. When the rocket is launched, the canister absorbs 300-400 tons of stress, releasing a 50-ton rocket.
How is the Agni 5 controlled?
The Agni 5 is a three-stage solid-propelled rocket. The rocket is controlled by an inertial navigation system based on a ring laser gyroscope. Ring laser gyroscopes work on the principle of the Sagnac effect. Inertial navigation systems use rotation sensors, computers as well as motion sensors and continuously computes the velocity and direction of a moving object without external references. The Agni 5 is also equipped with another guidance system called Micro Inertial Navigation System (MINGS). MINGS is a backup guidance system for Agni V. All of these systems can communicate with satellite navigation systems both non- Indian as well as Indian. Developed by the Imarat Research Center which is operated by DRDO and located in Hyderabad.
Test Launch
The first test release of Agni V was in the year 2012. Second test release was in the year 2013. The third, fourth, fifth and sixth test launches were in the years 2015, 2016, January 2018 and June 2018, respectively. There was a seventh test release in December 2018.
The most recent Agni V user testing was in the year 2021. Testing was conducted in accordance with India’s Do Not Use First policy. First of all, non-use is the pledge of nuclear weapons not to use them unless they are attacked by the enemy with them. India has the same policy for biological and chemical weapons. Countries such as North Korea, Russia, UK, USA, Israel and Pakistan oppose the no-first policy. The first country to propose such a policy was China. However, India was the first to adopt this policy after the 1998 Pokhran II test.
