Horror! India’s Agni-5 Ballistic Missile Can Reach 3 Continents

NEW DELHI – India on Wednesday last conducted the first trial Intercontinental Ballistic Missile (ICBM) Agni-5. The test paved the way for the possible initial induction of the missile into the Indian armed forces.

The tests were carried out by the Indian Army Strategic Forces Command from APJ Abdul Kalam Island off the coast of Odisha. Test flights were initially postponed in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic which further affected missile testing with Multiple Independently Targetable Re-entry Vehicles (MIRV).

“The successful trial of Agni-5 is in line with India’s stated policy of having a credible minimum deterrence which supports the no-first-use commitment,” read a statement issued by the Indian Ministry of Defense.

Also read: India Successfully Tests Agni 5 Intercontinental Ballistic Missile, Able To Reach All Of Asia

Then what are the specifications and capabilities of this nuclear-capable missile?

Quoted from India Today, Thursday (28/10/2021), the Agni-5 ICBM was developed by the Defense Research & Development Organization (DRDO) and Bharat Dynamics Limited. It weighs almost 50,000 kilograms. The missile has a height of 1.75 meters with a diameter of two meters. The 1,500 kilogram warhead will be placed on top of a three-stage rocket booster powered by solid fuel.

Scientists say that at its fastest speed, this ICBM is 24 times faster than the speed of sound, traveling 8.16 kilometers per second, reaching a top speed of 29,401 kilometers per hour. The missile is also equipped with a ring laser gyroscope inertial navigation system (NavIC) that works with satellite guidance. The missile can hit its target with precision and can be launched from a mobile launcher.

The missile is programmed in such a way that upon reaching the peak of its trajectory, it veers toward Earth to continue its journey to the target at an increasing speed, due to Earth’s gravitational pull, with its path precisely directed by computers and inertial navigation systems. As the missile enters Earth’s atmosphere, atmospheric air rubbing against the skin of its outer surface raises the temperature above 4,000 degrees Celsius.

However, the original designed and developed heat shield maintains an inside temperature of less than 50 degrees Celsius.

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