| Agni-V | |
|---|---|
| Type | Intercontinental ballistic missile[1][2] |
| Place of origin |  India |
| Service history | |
| In service | 2014[3] (Under development) [4] |
| Used by | Indian Army |
| Production history | |
| Manufacturer | Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), Bharat Dynamics Limited (BDL) |
| Specifications | |
| Weight | 50,000 kg[5] |
| Length | 17.5 m [6] |
| Diameter | 2 m |
| Maximum range | 6,000 kilometres (3,700 mi)[7] |
| Warhead | Nuclear |
| Warhead weight | 1.1 ton/1000 kg[10] |
| Engine | Three stage solid |
| Operational range | Over 5,500 kilometres (3,400 mi)[1][7] |
| Speed | 24 Mach[8] |
| Launch platform | 8 x 8 Tatra TEL & Rail Mobile Launcher (Canisterized missile package) [9] |
| Transport | Road mobile. |
ABOUT::::::
Agni-VI is an intercontinental ballistic missile speculated to be in very rudimentary stages of development by India. It's said to be the latest & most advanced version among the Agni (missile) program. Capable of being launched from submarines or from land, it will be able to strike a target at a distance of 6000–10000 km with MIRVed warheads..
Introduction
Dr M Natrajan, a senior defense scientist of India, disclosed in 2007 that DRDO is working on an upgraded version of the Agni III known as the Agni-V (Earlier known as Agni-III* and Agni-IV) and that it will be ready in 4 years. The missile will have a range of about 5,000 km.
It will be quite easy to store and swiftly transport the missile by road since it's a canister-launch missile system, unlike the earlier Agni missiles.
Agni-V would also carry MIRV (multiple independently targetable re-entry vehicles) payloads being concurrently developed. A single MIRVed missile can deliver multiple warheads at different targets.
With a "launch mass" of around 50 tonne and a development cost of over Rs 2,500 crore, Agni-V will incorporate advanced technologies involving ring laser gyroscope and accelerometer for navigation and guidance. It takes its first stage from Agni-III, with a modified second stage and a miniaturized third stage to ensure it can fly to distances of 5,000 km. With a canister-launch system to impart higher road mobility, the missile will give the armed forces much greater operational flexibility than the earlier-generation of Agni missiles. According to a source, the accuracy levels of Agni-V and the 3,500-km Agni-IV (first tested in November 2011), with their better guidance and navigation systems, are far higher than Agni-I (700-km), Agni-II (2,000-km) and Agni-III (3,000-km).
The Agni-V will be operational by 2014-2015 after four to five repeatable tests by the DRDO.
Indian authorities believe that the solid-fuelled Agni-V is more than adequate to meet current threat perceptions and security concerns. The missile will bring the whole of Asia, including the northernmost parts of China, 70% of Europe and other regions under its strike envelope.
Propulsion
The Agni-V is a three stage solid fueled missile with composite motor casing in the third stage. In many aspects, the Agni-5 carries forward the Agni-3 pedigree. With composites used extensively to reduce weight, and a third stage added on (the Agni-3 was a two-stage missile), the Agni-5 can fly 1,500 km further than the 3,500 km range Agni-III. Two stages of this missile will be made of composite material. Advanced technologies like ring laser gyroscope and accelerometer will be used in the new missile. "You can reduce the payload and (further) increase the range of Agni-V" Saraswat told the Reuters in Feb 2010.
IMPORTANT FACTS
- 1). India will break into the exclusive ICBM club of six countries including the United States, Russia, United Kingdom, China and France once the 50-tonne Agni-V is ready for induction by 2014-2015, although some others say unless India acquires an 8,000 km range missile, it cannot become a part of this club. But DRDO scientists are sticking to their claim.
- 2). The Agni series of missiles, including Agni-V, is crucial for India's defence vis-a-vis China since Beijing has upped the ante in recent times by deploying missiles in Tibet Autonomous Region bordering India.
- 3). Tipped to be a game changer by DRDO Chief Dr VK Saraswat, Agni-V will extend India's reach all over Asia, parts of Africa and parts of Europe.
- 4). Once fired, it cannot be stopped. It travels faster than a bullet and can carry 1,000 kilograms of nuclear weapons. It can be launched using a special canister. Why, it can even be launched from a roadside!
- 5). With a range of 5,000 km, Agni-V, once validated and inducted into the armed forces after several more tests, will be India's longest-range missile to carry a nuclear warhead. It will have the capacity to carry a nuclear warhead weighing over a tonne.
- 6). Agni-V will give India the technological know-how to launch many nuclear warheads using the same missile.
- 7). Agni-V can be configured to launch small satellites and can be used later even to shoot down enemy satellites in orbits.
- 8). The missile can be launched only after a decision by the Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS).
- 9). Seventeen metres tall, Agni-V's three-stages are powered by solid propellants. The first rocket engine takes it to a height of about 40 kilometres. The second stage pushes it to about 150 kilometres. The third stage takes it to about 300 kilometres above the Earth. The missile finally reaches a height of about 800 kilometres.
- 10). This will be India's first launch of a 5,000 kilometre range missile.
No comments:
Post a Comment