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India’s strategic defense capabilities are significantly bolstered by its arsenal of ballistic missiles, developed by the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO). Among these, the Agni variants and Shaurya missiles stand out due to their advanced features and capabilities.
India’s Key Ballistic Missile Arsenal
The Agni-V is India’s first indigenously developed Intercontinental Ballistic Missile. It is a three-stage solid-fuelled missile. It has an operational range of 5,000 – 8,000 km and is capable of striking targets with a very high degree of accuracy. The missile uses a three-stage solid-fueled engine and carries a payload of 1,000 kg. It has an accuracy of less than 100 m (330 ft) and can be launched from a silo or a mobile launcher. The successful Agni-5 test aligns with India’s established policy of maintaining a ‘credible minimum deterrence,’ which underscores its commitment to a ‘No First Use’ stance. The missile weighs 50,000 kilograms, is 17.5 meters long, and has a diameter of 2 meters. It carries a 1.5-tonne nuclear warhead. The operational range of the missile exceeds 5,000 km and it can reach a maximum speed of Mach 25 (30,600 km/h; 19,000 mph; 8.51 km/s) in its terminal phase. The guidance system of the missile uses a ring laser gyroscope inertial navigation system, which can be optionally augmented by GPS / NavIC satellite guidance. The missile has an accuracy of less than 10 m CEP and can be launched from an 8 × 8 Tatra TEL and rail mobile launcher (canisterised missile package).
The Agni-III is a two-stage solid-fuelled missile. It is an Intermediate-Range Ballistic Missile (IRBM) developed by India. It has a range of 3,000 – 5,000 km and can carry a payload of 1,500 kg. The missile uses a two-stage solid propellant engine and has an accuracy of less than 100 m (330 ft). It can be launched from a silo or a mobile launcher. The missile is 17 meters long, weighs 48 tonnes, and carries smaller nuclear warheads, allowing for the deployment of a larger nuclear force. The operational range of the missile is 3,500 km – 5,000 km and it can reach a maximum speed of 15 Mach 5–6 km/s. The guidance system of the missile operates in two stages. In the mid-course phase, it uses a ring laser gyro inertial navigation system, which can be optionally augmented by GPS / NavIC satellite guidance. In the terminal phase, the guidance system employs imaging infrared homing, radar scene correlation, and active radar homing. The missile can be launched from an 8 × 8 transporter erector launcher or a rail mobile launcher.
The Agni-II is a two-stage solid-fuelled Medium Range Ballistic Missile (MRBM) with a range of 2,000- 3,500 kilometers with a payload of 1,250 kilograms. The MRBM weighs 16,000 kilograms and is 21 meters long with a diameter of 1.0 meters, with the capability of being equipped with Conventional high explosive -unitary, penetration, cluster munitions, incendiary weapons, thermobaric, strategic nuclear weapons. The Agni-II is capable of carrying a nuclear warhead and is considered to be a key component of India’s nuclear deterrent.
The Agni-I is a medium-range ballistic missile developed by India. It was successfully launched by the Strategic Forces Command from APJ Abdul Kalam Island, Odisha on June 01, 2023. The missile has demonstrated its efficacy as a reliable system, proficient in precision strikes on targets with a high degree of accuracy. It has a range of 700 – 1,200 km and weighs 12,000 kg. The missile is 15 m long and has a diameter of 1.0 m. It carries a warhead that can be a conventional high explosive -unitary, penetration, cluster munitions, incendiary weapon, thermobaric, or strategic nuclear weapon. The missile uses a single-stage composite rocket motor for propulsion. It has an operational range of 700–1,200 km and can reach a maximum speed of 2.5 km/s (9000 km/h). The guidance system of the missile operates in two stages. In the mid-course phase, it uses a ring laser gyro inertial navigation system, which can be optionally augmented by GPS / NavIC satellite guidance. In the terminal phase, the guidance system employs radar scene correlation. The missile has an accuracy of 25 m to 30 m CEP and can be launched from a canisterised transporter erector launcher or an underground silo. The payload of the missile is 1,000 kg (2,205 lb) and it has an accuracy of less than 250 m (820 ft). The missile can be launched from a road-mobile launcher.
The Shaurya missile, developed by the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), is a ballistic missile with a range of 700 km when launched from a submarine and 3,500 km when launched from a land-based launcher. It is capable of carrying a nuclear payload weighing between 200 to 1,000 kg. The Shaurya missile is the land version of the submarine-launched K-15 missile. The missile weighs 6.2 tonnes, has a length of 10 meters, and has a diameter of 0.74 meters. It carries a warhead that can be either a conventional or a strategic nuclear weapon. The missile uses a two-stage solid rocket motor for propulsion and has an operational range of 700 to 1,900 km. The missile has an accuracy of less than 100 m (330 ft) and can be launched from a submarine or a land-based launcher. The payload of the missile is 1,000 kg (2,205 lb).