NEWS
The proposed launch of India’s Agni-V missile by March end, has ruffled feathers among Chinese policy makers with Communist Party organ, the People’s Daily, saying that the move reflects India’s “intention of seeking regional balance of power”. It quoted Indian officials and scientists describing Agni-V missile as a “killer” for a “certain country” without mentioning which country. However, it made no mention of China’s massive missile build-up and development of air strike capabilities including the recent launch of an aircraft carrier. “It is the Indian goal to continue to strengthen the military and possess a military clout that matches its status as a major power,” the party mouthpiece said.

VIEWS
Agni-V is a 50-tonn e, 17.5-metre-tall, three-stage solid-fuel intercontinental ballistic missile developed by the Indian Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), at a programme cost of over Rs. 2,500 crore. An upgraded version of the Agni-III, the canister- launch Agni-V missile system is specially tailored for road mobility providing it the capability for speedy deployment. With a range of over 5,000 km, the weapon system will incorporate the latest cutting edge technologies involving ring laser gyroscope and accelerometer for navigation and terminal guidance. After the agreement with Russia inked during the Indian Prime Minister’s visit to Russia in the recent past on access to precision signals from the Russian GLONASS satellite system, the Agni-V could perform with devastating near pinpoint accuracy. In due course, the Agni-V will also have the capability to carry multiple independently targetable re-entry vehicles (MIRV). This payload will be able to deliver up to 10 nuclear warheads in a single launch assigned to different widely separated targets. Alternatively, two or more warheads can be assigned to a single target. The MIRV payload capability is a feature currently under development. There is also the potential to develop a submarine-launched version if the situation so demands in the future. The Agni-V system is being developed to provide a powerful deterrent through a credible second strike capability.

After development and pre-induction trials completed in 2010, the 3,500-km Agni-III was inducted into the Indian armed forces. The 700 km Agni-I medium-range and the 2,000 km plus Agni-II intermediate range ballistic missile (IRBM) systems that have been operationalised earlier on, are essentially to take out targets in Pakistan. The Agni-III and Agni-V with much longer range are China-centric. The Agni-V has the range to hit targets with nuclear weapons in most parts of China if launched from the North-eastern parts of the country. However, in order that the whole of China with its enormous strategic depth is brought within strike range of missiles launched from any part of India, there would be a requirement to develop a system with a range of 7,500 km or higher.

The Indian missile programme was initiated not in response to any specific threat from any country, but was related more to India’s status as an emerging regional power, both economically and militarily. However, over the years, China has built up a massive nuclear arsenal with missiles such as the 11,200 km Dong Feng-31A capable of hitting any part of India even when launched from deep inside Chinese Territory. Besides, China has a variety of long- and mediumrange missiles deployed in Tibet and the Xinjiang province.

With the escalating threat from China on India’s Eastern border and the growing nexus with Pakistan in the West, and the confrontation over oil exploration in the South China Sea, it was high time for India to sit up and take notice of the ominous clouds looming over the horizon. The Agni-V project that was shelved some time ago was therefore revived and after a series of postponements, the project was finally put on fast track when in 2011, A.K. Antony, Minister of Defence, exhorted the scientists at DRDO to “demonstrate the 5,000-km missile capability at the earliest”.