Agni-Prime (Agni-P) missile

Why in news?

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