India's Successfully Test-Fires its Longest Range Ballistic Nuclear Missile Agni 5

Agni 5 Nuclear  capable Missle launched Succesfully at Wheeler Coast

India on Saturday successfully test-fired its indigenously developed, intercontinental surface-to-surface nuclear capable ballistic missile 'Agni-5', which has a strike range of over 5000 kms and can carry a nuclear warhead of over one tonne, from Wheeler's Island off Odisha coast

The three stage, solid propellant "missile was test-fired from a mobile launcher from the launch

complex-4 of the Integrated Test Range (ITR) at about 8.06 hours," ITR Director M V K V Prasad said.

The three-stage missile is about 17 metres long and weighs 50 tons. The first rocket engine takes it to a height of about 40 kilometres. The second stage pushes it to about 150 kilometres. The third stage takes it to about 300 kilometres above the Earth. And the missile finally reaches a height of about 800 kilometres.

With a range of 5000 km, the nuclear-capable missile can carry a warhead in the east as far as all of China and in the west all over Europe.

Agni-5 gives India the ability to launch nuclear weapons from land at will from anywhere in India.  It will give India the ability to hit back or have second-strike capability even after a nuclear strike.

India has at present in its armoury of Agni series, Agni-1 with 700 km range, Agni-2 with 2000 km range, Agni-3 and Agni-4 with 2500 km to more than 3500 range. After a few more trials, Agni-5 will be inducted into the services.