Why Agni-5 missile is a game changer for India

The Agni-5 MIRV uses smaller size warheads to generate a greater effect.

India on Monday successfully conducted the first flight test of domestically developed Agni-V missile with Multiple Independently Targetable Re-entry Vehicle technology.

The launch carried out under Mission Divyastra (divine weapon), made India's entry into the elite list of the countries that have the capability to deploy MIRV missile systems, including the United States, the United Kingdom, France, Russia and China.

The Agni 5 project is aimed at enhancing India's "nuclear deterrence" against China which has  Dongfeng missiles with ranges between 12,000-15,000 km.

The first indication of the country’s intention to carry out a long-range missile test came last week when it issued a notice for a no-fly zone over the Bay of Bengal and a stretch of the eastern Indian Ocean region.

The Agni-V completes the concept of a Nuclear Triad. India’s nuclear forces include air-delivered free-fall weapons, land-based ballistic missiles, and a nuclear attack submarine (SSBN) capability. The potent arsenal in the triad is the submarine-launched K-4 missiles, leading into the Strategic Forces Command that takes care of India’s strategic assets.

The test flight of Agni-5, marked the first time that the MIRV technology was tested, which aims to deploy multiple warheads at different locations in a single launch.

The Agni-5 weapon system is equipped with indigenous avionics systems and high-accuracy sensor packages, which ensured that the re-entry vehicles reached the target points within the desired accuracy.

Multiple Independently-targetable Reentry Vehicles (MIRVs) were originally developed in the early 1960s to allow a single missile to carry multiple nuclear warheads, each capable of striking different targets independently, unlike traditional missiles, according to The Centre for Arms Control and Non-Proliferation.

The first test of Agni-5 was carried out in April 2012 while the previous one was conducted around three years ago. Media reports say the successful test firing of the missile paves the way for its induction into the Strategic Forces Command that takes care of India's strategic assets.

China had unveiled a hypersonic medium-range missile, the DF-17, in 2019, which can travel around 2,000 kilometres and can carry nuclear warheads.

China’s ICBM–DF-41 China has been developing the Dongfeng range of missiles–DF missile.

The DF missiles are a series of ballistic missiles with the capability to engage targets at short, medium, intermediate, and intercontinental ranges. In the series, China’s DF-41 stands out in terms of its range and capabilities.