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Recently, Defence Research and Development Organization (DRDO) in collaboration with the Strategic Forces Command (SFC) has successfully test-fired the Agni-P missile from a rail-based mobile launcher for the first time.
- It is a nuclear-capable new-gen advanced variant of the Agni class of missiles.
- Developed under – Integrated Guided Missile Development Program (IGMDP).
- Type – Medium range, surface to surface ballistic missile.
- Designed by – Defence Research and Development Organization (DRDO).
- Manufacturer – Bharat Dynamics Limited.
- Mass - 11,000 kg (lighter than all the earlier Agni series of missiles).
- Length - 10.5 m
- Diameter - 1.15 m
- Propulsion - Two stage, canisterised, solid propellant.
- Operational range – Between 1,000 km to 2,000 km.
- Warhead – Maneuverable Multiple independently targetable reentry vehicle (MIRV) (high explosive, thermobaric and nuclear)
- Warhead weight - 1,500 kg – 3,000 kg
- Guidance system - Advanced ring laser gyro-based inertial navigation system (INS) (more accurate) + GPS and NaVIC satellite navigation systems.
- Road-mobile version of Agni-P – It has already been inducted into the armed forces after a series of successful trials.
Rail-based Mobile Launcher
- India has roughly 70,000-km railway route can carry missiles to all corners of the country without the need for preparation, like fixing potholes or widening bottlenecks.
- Reduced time – It allows user to have a cross-country mobility and launch within a short reaction time with reduced visibility.
- Hiding from target - Tunnels can be used by rail-based launchers to hide from enemy satellite surveillance, that the launcher can be kept in hiding till the very last moment before the missile is deployed.
- Cheaper & Efficient – It is cheaper and more efficient to construct and maintain, when compared with submarine launched ballistic missiles (SLBMs).
- Second-strike capabilities - This can boost country’s second-strike capabilities, that is, a country’s ability to survive a nuclear attack and then launch its own counterattack.
So far, only Russia, the US, China, and possibly North Korea had the capability of launching from rail-based platforms.
Reference
Indian Express | Agni-P missile test
