India tests medium-range ballistic missile Agni Prime

Context 

India has successfully test-fired indigenously-developed new generation medium-range ballistic missile Agni Prime from the Odisha coast.

About Agni-Prime Missile

• Agni-P is a new generation advanced variant of the Agni class of missiles.
• It is the sixth missile in the Agni series of ballistic missiles.
• It is a two-staged canisterised missile with a range capability between 1,000 and 2,000 km.
• Many advanced technologies including composites, propulsion systems, innovative guidance and control mechanisms and state-of-the-art navigation systems have been introduced.
• Significantly, it weighs 50 per cent less than the Agni 3 missile and has new guidance and propulsion systems
• The missile strengthens India’s credible deterrence capabilities.

About Agni Missiles

• Agni missiles are long range, nuclear weapons capable of surface to surface ballistic missiles.
• The first missile of the series, Agni-I was developed under the Integrated Guided Missile Development Program (IGMDP) and tested in 1989.
• After its success, the Agni missile program was separated from the IGMDP upon realizing its strategic importance.
• It was designated as a special program in India’s defence budget and provided adequate funds for subsequent development.

Variants of Agni missiles

• Agni I: It is a Medium Range Ballistic Missile with a Range of 700-800 km.
• Agni II: It is also a Medium Range Ballistic Missile with a Range more than 2000 km.
• Agni III: It is also an Inter-Medium Range Ballistic Missile with Range of more than 2,500 Km
• Agni IV: It is also an Inter-Medium Range Ballistic Missile with Range is more than 3,500 km and can fire from a road mobile launcher.
• Agni-V: Currently it is the longest of the Agni series, an Inter-Continental Ballistic Missile (ICBM) with a range of over 5,000 km.
• Agni- VI: The longest of the Agni series, an Inter-Continental Ballistic Missile (ICBM) with a range of ICBM 11,000–12,000 km.