India achieved a major milestone with the successful test of the Agni-Prime missile conducted on Wednesday night by the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) at the Integrated Test Range in Odisha's Balasore. As per officials, the test met all objectives. This trial is termed unique as it was carried out from a specially designed rail-based mobile launcher -- a capability that only a few nations currently possess. Meanwhile, Union Defence Minister Rajnath Singh also shared information about this test on his official X handle and also posted the video of the trial.
"India has carried out the successful launch of Intermediate Range Agni-Prime Missile from a rail-based Mobile launcher system. This next-generation missile is designed to cover a range up to 2000 km and is equipped with various advanced features," Singh posted on X. The Defence Minister asserted that the success of the flight test has put India in the group of selected nations that have developed "canisterised launch system from on the move rail network".
"Congratulations to DRDO, Strategic Forces Command (SFC) and the Armed Forces on the successful test of the Intermediate Range Agni-Prime missile. This successful flight," Singh said. "The first-of-its-kind launch carried out today from a specially designed rail-based Mobile Launcher, has the capability to move on Rail network without any pre-conditions that allow the User to have cross-country mobility and launch within a short reaction time with reduced visibility (sic)," he added.
Game-changing rail mobility
This first-of-its-kind test was carried out using static train coaches fitted with the rail-based launcher. The system is capable of moving freely across the country's railway network without prior restrictions, providing the armed forces with the ability to launch missiles at short notice and with reduced visibility. Defence officials pointed out that this cross-country mobility adds significant operational flexibility and strengthens India’s deterrence capability.
Features of the Agni-Prime missile
Agni-Prime is an advanced next-generation intermediate-range ballistic missile with a strike range of around 2,000 kilometres. It is equipped with several modern features which gives it improved accuracy, reliability and operational flexibility compared to earlier versions of the Agni missile series. Officials confirmed that the technology used in this trial can also be applied to other Agni-class missiles in the future.
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