New Delhi: Taking lessons from the ongoing war between Ukraine and Russia, India has intensified preparations to start testing the Intercontinental Ballistic Missile (ICBM) Agni missile with a range beyond 5,000 to 10,000 kms.
The reason behind the testing of the upcoming three Agni-6 missiles is to secure the Indian territory as well as to take the most remote areas of China under its control. With this, India will be counted among those countries which have ICBM. Before India, the US, Russia, France and China have acquired the power of inter-continental ballistic missile.
India had limited its official range to 5,000 km after conducting a hat-trick pre-induction trial of the Intermediate Range Ballistic Missile (IRBM) nuclear-capable capable Agni-5 in January 2018. The Agni-5 missile is said to have a range of 5000 km, within which India’s main geopolitical rival China’s important cities of Beijing, Guangzhou, Shanghai and Hong Kong are covered. Apart from this, it is able to take all Asian countries, parts of Africa and Europe under its control. Now the most remote areas of China have to be taken under its control through Agni-6 missile.
The first user test of Agni-5 was to be done on September 23, 2021, but before the launch of the Agni-5 missile, there was panic in China. It questioned India’s missile program citing a United Nations Security Council (UNSC) resolution. After a long wait on the day of the test on September 23, DRDO Chief G Satheesh Reddy late at night indicated that Agni-5 would be inducted into the Army and Air Force without conducting user trials. However, so far there is no official confirmation of the deployment of Agni-5 on any border of China or Pakistan.
So far, India is armed with four types of Agni series missiles, which have a range of 700 km. Agni-1 with a range of 2,000 km. Agni-2 with a range of up to 2,500 km. The range includes Agni-3 and Agni-4 with a range of up to 3,500 km. DRDO officials said that any missile with less payload, better navigation can increase its range and it requires testing. He said India had not officially crossed the range of IRBM till testing of Agni-5.
As per its intensifying preparations to begin testing the ICBM of more than 5,000 km range. India has developed several critical technologies required under the Agni-VI project. The Agni-6 missile is set to be tested in the coming three years by validating computer simulations. The reason behind testing Agni-6 is to secure the Indian territory as well as to take the most remote areas of China under its control. Research on new technologies includes more contemporary materials, better navigation and ranges of up to 10 ,000 kilometres. Along with this, the technology of launching Agni-6 missile from submarine is also being developed.