Prime Minister Narendra Modi today announced the development of “Mission Divyastra” — an indigenously developed, landmark weapons system that alters the country’s geopolitic and strategic position and significantly changes the situation in southeast Asia. The Agni-5 MIRV missile, developed by defence research centre DRDO for over a decade, took its first flight today.
The new weapon system has Multiple Independently Targetable Re-entry Vehicle (MIRV) technology, which ensures that a single missile can deploy multiple war heads and hit targets at different locations simultaneously.
The technology is currently possessed by a handful of nations and with its test, India has joined the select club, said government sources. MIRVs have been developed by the US, UK, Russia, France and China.
“Proud of our DRDO scientists for Mission Divyastra, the first flight test of indigenously developed Agni-5 missile with Multiple Independently Targetable Re-entry Vehicle (MIRV) technology,’ PM Modi posted on X, formerly Twitter.
Proud of our DRDO scientists for Mission Divyastra, the first flight test of indigenously developed Agni-5 missile with Multiple Independently Targetable Re-entry Vehicle (MIRV) technology.
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) March 11, 2024
While developing a ballistic missile is a tough ask, developing one that carries multiple warheads that can be launched in different directions is a highly challenging task.
An MIRV payload involves a single missile carrying upto 10 nuclear warheads, each programmed to hit a separate target. This means optimum use of a single missile and gives India the capability of targeting adversaries in the east and west simultaneously within 5,000-plus km.
To make this effective, the system is also equipped with indigenous avionics systems and high accuracy sensor packages, which ensure that the re-entry vehicles accurately reach the target points, sources said.
It is suspected that the weapons system was tested within a range of 3,550 km, owing to the announcement of a no-fly NOTAM — meaning notice to airmen — in that range.
Agni has been part of India’s arsenal since the 1990s. Though India has conducted multiple tests on Agni-5 over the last few years, the new technology takes the country’s second-strike capability to a whole new level, sources said.
Sources said the project was headed by a woman, whose identity is not yet disclosed.
