Tuesday, May 31, 2011


The Agni missile (Sanskrit: अग्नि , Agnī "Fire", cognate with Latin ignis, root of English ignite) is a family of Medium to Intercontinental range ballistic missiles developed by India under the Integrated Guided Missile Development Program. As of 2008, the Agni missile family comprises three deployed variants: [4]

  1. Agni-I Medium range ballistic missile, 1500 – 1700 km range.
  2. Agni-II intermediate range ballistic missile, 2,000- 2,500 km range.
  3. Agni-II Prime[5][6] 2,500- 3,000 km range.
  4. Agni-III intermediate range ballistic missile, 3,000 - 5,500 km range.
  5. There will not be an Agni-IV missile, with DRDO leapfrogging from intermediate range Agni-III to a standard ICBM possibly.
  6. Agni-V intercontinental ballistic missile, 5000 km range (under development).
  7. Agni-VI intercontinental ballistic missile, 6000 km range (under development)

Agni-I was first tested at the Integrated Test Range in Chandipur in 1989, and is capable of carrying a conventional payload of 1000 kg (2,200 lb) or a nuclear warhead. Agni missiles consist of one (short range) or two stages (intermediate range). These are rail and road mobile and powered by solid propellants.

The Agni I has a range of 700–800 km while the Agni-II has a range of 2,000–2,500 km. They are claimed to be a part of the "credible deterrence" against China and Pakistan. The Agni-II can only reach most parts of western, central and southern China. With the successful test of Agni-III which has a range of 3500 km, it falls within the reach of most major Chinese cities, including Beijing and Shanghai

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