India Carries Out Routine Test of the Nuclear-Capable Agni-V Ballistic Missiles

India’s Strategic Forces Command (SFC) carried out a successful night-time flight test of the long-range surface-to-surface Nuclear Capable Ballistic missile, Agni-V.

Even as the test comes after the increased tension with China following the recent clashes along the LAC in Arunachal Pradesh, it had been planned earlier. India had announced its intention to test a long-range missile and issued a NOTAM or Notice to Airmen well before the incident in Arunachal’s Tawang.

The test was carried out successfully from the APJ Abdul Kalam Island off the coast of Odisha. The nuclear capable missile which uses a three-stage solid fuelled engine, has been developed by the Defence Research and Development organisation (DRDO). SFC is a key tri-services formation that manages and administers all the strategic assets and falls under purview of the Nuclear Command Authority of India.

The Defence Ministry stated that the test was intended towards validating numerous new technologies onboard the missile which can strike targets at ranges of around 5,000 to 5,500 kilometres with a ‘very high degree of accuracy’. The ministry termed it as a routine test.

As is usual, the flight performance of the missile was tracked and monitored by radars, range stations and tracking systems all through the mission including by the assets deployed in the sea. The last test conducted in October 2021 was also conducted at night.

This was the ninth flight of the Agni V missile first tested in 2012.