Can India’s Agni missile destroy the whole of China? What’s the truth.

When the first Agni missile was developed then DRDO didn’t think that this Agni missile will be a game-changer which will change the luck of Indian missile programs. But as the time passed and various variants of Agni started to come forward the world was in a bit of shock. It was because each variant of Agni had a very different range and a very different technology. Agni 6 which is in the last phase of development has a range of 12000 kilometers which can hit any target on the entire globe. So it is not wrong to say that India’s Agni missile can destroy the whole world.

Agni is a series of medium to the inter-continental range, super-sonic ballistic missile. Its maximum speed is 2.5 to 3.5 km/s. Agni missile latest variant ranges more than 12,000 km and weight is about 55,000 kg and can fly to an altitude of 350km. This missile is set up in Ashok Leyland heavy mobility trucks and Railway launched vehicle. In a single truck, one Agni missile could be carried with its complete launcher system.

It was been manufactured jointly by DRDO and Bharat Dynamics of India. Agni engine is of three types’ Single-stage, Double-stage and Three-stage which consists of Composite rocket motor with Solid fuel. Currently, there are six different variants of Agni missile with a varying range from medium to inter-continental.

First missile of Agni series; Agni-I was developed by IGMDO: Integrated Guided Missile Development Program. It was tested in 1989 and inducted into service in 2019.

It uses a ring laser gyro navigation system with GPS/NavIC Satellite guidance, Infrared homing, active radar homing and radar scene correlation.

The Agni I came into service in 2009and its latest missile Agni V came into service in 2019. Since its first test, more than 150 Agni missiles are built. The cost for each unit of Agni missile is the US $ 7 million.

Agni missile ranges from 700 km to 12,000 km. There are six variants of Agni missile developed and range of Agni missile vary as- Agni 1 with max range 1200 km, Agni 2 with max range 3,500 km, Agni 3 with max range 5,000 km, Agni 4 with max range 4,000 km, Agni 5 with max range 8,000 km and Agni 6 with max range 12,000 km( under development).

Agni Missile 1

• It is an MRBM- Medium-Range Ballistic Missile.
• First test flight of Agni I was conducted on November 1989 with Double stage fuel.
• Its First test with single-stage fuel was conducted in January; 2002. Both tests were conducted on I.T. Range, Chandipura.
• Its First night test was conducted on 11 April 2014 from Wheeler Island, Orissa. It is less costly, simple and accurate than Agni II.

SPECIFICATIONS

In-Service	2009
Type	MRBM
Length/Diameter	15 m/ 1 m
Weight of Missile	22,000 kg
Payload	1000 kg
Maximum Speed	2.5 km/s
Range	700-1,200 km

Agni Missile 2

• It is an MRBM- Medium-Range Ballistic Missile.
• It has a double stage Solid propellant engine.
• The first test flight of Agni II was conducted on 9 August 2012.
• Its First test with nuclear capability was conducted on 7 April; 2013. Both tests were conducted on Wheeler Island, Orissa.
• Its First night test was conducted on 16 November 2019 from Wheeler Island, Orissa. It is less costly, simple and accurate than Agni II.

SPECIFICATIONS

In-Service	2006
Type	MRBM
Length/Diameter	21 m/ 1 m
Weight of Missile	26,000 kg
Payload	820-2,000 kg
Maximum Speed	3.5 km/s
Range	2,000- 3,500 km

Agni Missile 3

• It is an IRBM- Intermediate Range Ballistic Missile.
• It has a double stage Solid propellant engine.
• First test flight of Agni III was conducted on 9 July 2006 which failed because second stage fuel didn’t work.
• Its Second test was conducted on 12 April; 2007 which was successful. Both tests were conducted on Wheeler Island, Orissa.
• Its Third test was conducted on 7 May 2008 from Wheeler Island, Orissa. It can carry a smaller nuclear warhead.

SPECIFICATIONS

In-Service	2011
Type	IRBM
Length/Diameter	17 m/ 2 m
Weight of Missile	44,000 kg
Payload	2,500 kg
Maximum Speed	2.5-3.5 km/s
Range	3,000- 5,000 km

Agni Missile 4

• It is an IRBM- Intermediate Range Ballistic Missile.
• It has double stage Solid propellant engine with Ring laser gyro and composite rocket motor.
• First test flight of Agni IV was conducted on 15 November 2011.
• Its Second test was conducted on 19 September; 2012 both tests were successful. Both tests were conducted on Wheeler Island, Orissa.
• Its Third test was conducted on 20 January 2014 from Wheeler Island, Orissa. It can carry a warhead of 1 ton with better kill efficiency and greater range.

SPECIFICATIONS

In-Service	2014
Type	IRBM
Length/Diameter	20 m/ 1.1 m
Weight of Missile	17,000 kg
Payload	800-1,000 kg
Maximum Speed	2.5-3.5 km/s
Range	3,500- 4,000 km

Agni Missile 5

• It is an ICBM- Intercontinental Range Ballistic Missile.
• It has three-stage Solid propellant engines where a Double staged solid-propellant engine was added with a third composite stage.
• First test flight of Agni IV was conducted on 19 April 2012.
• Its Second test was conducted on15 September; 2013 both tests were successful. Both tests were conducted on Wheeler Island, Orissa.
• Its Third test with Canisterized Version was conducted on January 2015 from Wheeler Island, Orissa. High composite content was used to reduce the weight of the missile.

SPECIFICATIONS

In-Service	2019
Type	ICBM
Length/Diameter	17.5 m/ 2 m
Weight of Missile	50,000 kg
Payload	1,500(3-10 MIRV) kg
Maximum Speed	2.5-3.5 km/s
Range	5,000-8,000 km

Agni Missile 6

• It is an ICBM- Intercontinental Range Ballistic Missile.
• It will have a four-stage propellant engine with solid fuel.
• This missile is currently under development and will have a range between 11,000 km to 12,000 km. It will be the latest and most advanced version of the Agni series. It will be capable of carrying MIRVed warheads.

SPECIFICATIONS

In-Service	Under development
Type	ICBM
Length/Diameter	40 m/ 1.1 m
Weight of Missile	55,000 kg
Payload	3,000(10 MIRV) kg
Maximum Speed	2.5-3.5 km/s
Range	11,000-12,000 km

Agni Missile Updates

Agni missile latest news states that India has deployed Agni missile along with other cruise missiles near LAC on the verge of Indo-China conflict. India is conducting various tests on its all the missile system to keep it ready in advance due to border tensions with China and Pakistan.

Today Agni 6 is under development but Indian scientist has already started work on Agni 7 which will have a range of 15000 kilometers. So so the few parts of the world which Agni 6 was unable to reach can be hit by the new Agni 7. So we can say that India is as better as any country on the subject of missile technology and India’s Agni missile can not only destroy the whole of China but can destroy the whole world.