India announces successful test of advanced Agni missile with multiple warheads
The missile was flight-tested with multiple payloads aimed at different targets spatially distributed over a large geographical area in the Indian Ocean Region, the Indian defence ministry said.
India today (9 May) announced it has conducted the successful flight-trial of an advanced version of 'Agni' missile that can target multiple strategic targets using a single missile system.
The trial of the Multiple Independently-targeted Re-Entry Vehicle (MIRV) system was held at APJ Abdul Kalam Island in Odisha yesterday (8 May), the defence ministry said.
The missile was flight-tested with multiple payloads aimed at different targets spatially distributed over a large geographical area in the Indian Ocean Region, it said.
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The telemetry and tracking of the missile was carried out by multiple ground and ship-based stations. These systems tracked the entire missile trajectory from lift-off till the impact of all payloads. Flight data confirmed that all mission objectives were met during the trial, according to the ministry.
"With this successful trial, India once again demonstrated the capability to target multiple strategic targets using a single missile system," it said in a statement.
This missile has been developed by Defence Research Development Organisation (DRDO) laboratories with the support of industries across the country.
The trial was witnessed by senior scientists of DRDO and the Indian Army personnel.
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh complimented DRDO, Indian Army and the industry on the successful flight-test and said this will add an "incredible capability" to the country's defence preparedness against the growing threat perceptions.
