India successfully test-fires N-capable Agni-4 ballistic missile with strike range of 4,000km
NEW DELHI: India successfully test-fired the medium-range ballistic missile (MRBM), nuclear-capable Agni-4, with a strike range of 4,000 km, from the Integrated Test Range at Chandipur off the Odisha coast on Thursday. “The launch validated all operational and technical parameters.The test was carried out under the aegis of the Strategic Forces Command (SFC),” a release from the defence ministry said.
Lauding defence scientists and experts, defence minister Rajnath Singh said, “Strategic Forces Command and DRDO carried out a successful launch of MRBM Agni-4. I congratulate SFC and DRDO for this textbook mission launch which reaffirmed India’s commitment to defend the nation with state-of-the-art technologies.” SFC forms part of India’s Nuclear Command Authority (NCA) and is responsible for the management and administration of the country’s tactical and strategic nuclear weapons stockpile.Developed by DRDO, Agni-4 is capable of carrying both nuclear and conventional payloads and acts as a major pillar of India’s nuclear triad and strategic deterrence posture. The missile is a two-stage solid-propellant system, with a 1,000 kg payload capacity, and is launched from a mobile tandem launcher that allows for rapid deployment and high survivability against pre-emptive strikes.From launch sites in India, Agni-4 is capable of reaching deep into major strategic centres across nearly all of mainland China, especially when launched from eastern or northeastern parts of India. Its strike range also covers parts of Southeast Asia, West Asia and Central Asia. India has flight-tested the Agni-4 eight times since its first test in 2010. The missile, previously named Agni-II Prime, is a derivative of the Agni-II MRBM with extended range.Agni-4 features an advanced re-entry heat shield engineered to withstand extreme exterior skin temperatures of more than 3,000°C, while ensuring internal electronic systems and avionics remain fully operational below 50°C. The ballistic missile is accurate to less than 100 metres circular error probable (CEP) at a range of 4,000 km.Agni-4 uses a 1.2-metre-diameter, maraging steel-cased first stage and a roughly 1-metre-diameter carbon-fibre-cased second stage to generate 710 and 39.5 kN of average thrust, respectively. It employs an inertial guidance system with ring laser gyroscopes and flexseal thrust vectoring systems to control its orientation in flight and ensure high-precision targeting.According to the defence ministry, the missile system is equipped with modern and compact avionics with redundancy to provide a high level of reliability.
