The Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) has successfully test-fired the Agni MIRV, which is an inter-continental ballistic missile (ICBM), said the agency on Saturday. The test was conducted on Friday from the Dr APJ Abdul Kalam Island off the coast of Odisha.
The missile was flight tested with Multiple payloads, targeted to different targets spatially distributed over a large geographical area in Indian Ocean Region. Defence Minister Rajnath Singh has congratulated the DRDO for the test and stated that this would "add an incredible capability to country’s defence preparedness against the growing threat perceptions".
The development comes days after DRDO chairperson Samir V Kamat had said that the Agni-6 missile programme is waiting for the government's approval, adding that the agency has completed all the required groundwork. "It is the government's decision. We are ready whenever the government gives us the go-ahead," Kamat had said, while speaking at the ANI National Security Summit 2.0.
The Agni-6 is expected to have a range somewhere between 6,000 and 10,000 km. The missile is aimed at boosting India's long-range missile arsenal and enhance the country's nuclear deterrence posture amid a global uncertainty. The missile will likely be equipped with the MIRV (Multiple Independently Targetable Reentry Vehicle) technology, which means it would be able to carry and deliver several nuclear warheads at different targets.
India conducts maiden flight-trial of new weapon system
Meanwhile, on Friday, the maiden flight-trial of an indigenously developed glide weapon system was successfully conducted off Odisha's coast. In a statement, the Ministry of Defence (MoD) said that the Tactical Advanced Range Augmentation (TARA) system was developed to convert unguided warheads into precision guided weapons.
The TARA system has been designed and developed by Hyderabad's Research Centre Imarat (RCI), along with the DRDO. It is aimed at enhancing "the lethality and accuracy of a low-cost weapon to neutralise ground-based targets". Singh has congratulated the DRDO and the RCI for its successful test.
"It is the first glide weapon to utilise state-of-the-art low-cost systems," the ministry said. "The development of the kit has been undertaken with Development cum Production Partners (DcPP) & other Indian industries, which have already started the production activity."
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