Agni missile

Why is in news? India carries out successful training launch of Intermediate Range Ballistic Missile, Agni-3 in Odisha

The Agni missile is a family of medium to intercontinental range ballistic missiles developed by India, named after one of the five elements of nature.

Agni missiles are long range, nuclear weapons capable, surface to surface ballistic missiles.

The first missile of the series, Agni-I was developed under the Integrated Guided Missile Development Program (lGMDP) and tested in 1989.

After its success, Agni missile program was separated from the GMDP upon realizing its strategic importance.

It was designated as a special program in India's defence budget and provided adequate funds for subsequent development.

Agni class of missiles are the mainstay of India’s nuclear launch capability, which also includes the Prithvi short-range ballistic missiles, submarine launched ballistic missiles and fighter aircraft.

Agni-V, an Inter-Continental Ballistic Missile (ICBM) with a range of over 5,000 km, had been tested several times and validated for induction.

The Agni-P and Agni-5 ballistic missiles trace their origins back to the Integrated Guided Missile Development Programme (IGMDP), which was spearheaded by former DRDO chief and ex-Indian president Dr APJ Abdul Kalam in the early 1980s.

Agni Series:

Agni I: Range of 700-800 km.

Agni II: Range more than 2000 km.

Agni III: Range of more than 2,500 Km

Agni IV: Range is more than 3,500 km and can fire from a road mobile launcher.

Agni-V: The longest of the Agni series, an Inter-Continental Ballistic Missile (ICBM) with a range of over 5,000 km.

Agni P: Range of 1,000 to 2,000 km

IGMDP (Integrated Guided Missile Development Program):

It was conceived by Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam to enable India attain self-sufficiency in the field of missile technology. It was approved by the Government of India in 1983 and completed in March 2012.

The 5 missiles developed under this program are:

Prithvi: Short range surface to surface ballistic missile.

Agni: Ballistic missiles with different ranges, i.e. Agni (1,2,3,4,5)

Trishul: Short range low level surface to air missile.

Nag: 3rd generation anti-tank missile.

Akash: Medium range surface to air missile.