Agni-I (missile)
Encyclopedia
Short-range ballistic missile
A short-range ballistic missile is a ballistic missile with a range of about 1,000 km or less. They are usually capable of carrying nuclear weapons. In potential regional conflicts, these missiles would be used because of the short distances between some countries and their relative low cost...
to Intermediate
Intermediate-range ballistic missile
An intermediate-range ballistic missile is a ballistic missile with a range of 3,000–5,500 km , between a medium-range ballistic missile and an intercontinental ballistic missile...
range ballistic missiles developed by India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
under the Integrated Guided Missile Development Program.On 28 Mar 2010,the trial was conducted with a special Strategic Forces Command
Strategic Forces Command
The Indian Strategic Forces Command , sometimes called The Strategic Nuclear Command forms part of India's Nuclear Command Authority . It is responsible for the management and administration of the country's tactical and strategic nuclear weapons stockpile...
(SFC) of nuclear-capable Agni-I ballistic missile, with a range of 700kilometers from the Wheelers Island off Orissa coast thus making Agni-I missile operational by army. Since then the SFC of the Indian Army has conducted several user trials of Agni-I missile to test its readiness to launch ballistic missiles that carry nuclear warheads. The recent user trials involved the test firing of upgraded version of Agni-I with better re-entry technology, manoeuvrability and range extension of up to 700–900 km.
History and Development
Agni-I was first tested at the Interim Test Range in ChandipurChandipur
Chandipur also known as Chandipur-on-sea is a small sea resort in Baleswar District, Orissa, India. The resort is on the Bay of Bengal and is approximately 16 kilometers from the Baleswar Railway Station. The beach is unique in that the water recedes anywhere from 1 kilometer to 4 kilometers during...
in 1989, and is capable of carrying a conventional payload of 1,000 kg (2,200 lb) or a nuclear
Nuclear weapon
A nuclear weapon is an explosive device that derives its destructive force from nuclear reactions, either fission or a combination of fission and fusion. Both reactions release vast quantities of energy from relatively small amounts of matter. The first fission bomb test released the same amount...
warhead. Agni missiles consist of one (short range) or two stages
Multistage rocket
A multistage rocket is a rocket that usestwo or more stages, each of which contains its own engines and propellant. A tandem or serial stage is mounted on top of another stage; a parallel stage is attached alongside another stage. The result is effectively two or more rockets stacked on top of or...
(intermediate range). These are rail and road mobile and powered by solid propellants.
The Agni I has a range of 700–900 km while the Agni-II as a range of 2,000–3,000 km. They are claimed to be a part of the "Minimum Credible deterrence
Deterrence theory
Deterrence theory gained increased prominence as a military strategy during the Cold War with regard to the use of nuclear weapons, and features prominently in current United States foreign policy regarding the development of nuclear technology in North Korea and Iran. Deterrence theory however was...
".
Agni-I is a single stage, solid fuel, road and rail mobile, medium-range ballistic missile (MRBM). This shorter ranger missile specially designed for targets in Pakistan
Pakistan
Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...
. The need for the Agni-I was felt after the Kargil war
Kargil War
The Kargil War ,, also known as the Kargil conflict, was an armed conflict between India and Pakistan that took place between May and July 1999 in the Kargil district of Kashmir and elsewhere along the Line of Control...
with Pakistan. It took DRDO 18 months to develop the Agni-I after having completed Agni-II development. It is propelled by solid fuel. Maneuvering RV body-lift aerodynamics give it the ability to correct trajectory errors and reduce thermal stresses. The MRV has a velocity correction package to correct launch trajectory variances. Some Agni RV versions use a set of solid fueled thruster cartridges of predetermined impulse, allowing the onboard guidance controller to trim velocity, using discrete combination of impulse quanta along the desired spatial orientation. The 15 metre tall Agni-1 missile, weighing about 12 tonnes, is capable of carrying both conventional as well as nuclear warheads of 1,000 kg.
Testing Trials by Indian Army
On October 5, 2007, a nuclear-capable Agni I was test fired from Wheelers' IslandWheeler Island, India
Wheeler Island is an island off the coast of Orissa, India. It is approximately 150 km from the state capital Bhubaneshwar. India maintains a missile testing facility on the island....
, a defense base in the Bay of Bengal
Bay of Bengal
The Bay of Bengal , the largest bay in the world, forms the northeastern part of the Indian Ocean. It resembles a triangle in shape, and is bordered mostly by the Eastern Coast of India, southern coast of Bangladesh and Sri Lanka to the west and Burma and the Andaman and Nicobar Islands to the...
on Orissa coast at Bhadrak
Bhadrak
Bhadrak is a city and a municipality in Bhadrak district in the state of Orissa, India.-Demographics: India census, Bhadrak had a population of 1,33,4000. Males constitute 52% of the population and females 48%. Bhadrak has an average literacy rate of 73.86, higher than the national average of...
, Orissa
Orissa
Orissa , officially Odisha since Nov 2011, is a state of India, located on the east coast of India, by the Bay of Bengal. It is the modern name of the ancient nation of Kalinga, which was invaded by the Maurya Emperor Ashoka in 261 BC. The modern state of Orissa was established on 1 April...
; and again on March 23, 2008 from the same site.
On 25 Nov 2010 another user trial of Agni-I missile was carried out by the Strategic Force Command (SFC) of the Indian Army wherein the indigenously developed surface-to-surface single-stage missile, powered by solid propellants, was test fired from a rail mobile launcher at about 1010 hours from launch pad-4 of the ITR, 100 km off the Orissa coast. This user trial involved the test firing of upgraded version of Agni-I with better re-entry technology, manoeuvrability and range extension of up to 700–900 km.
Agni 1 was successfully test fired as a part of a training exercise on 1 December 2011 from the Orissa coast.The Strategic Forces Command
Strategic Forces Command
The Indian Strategic Forces Command , sometimes called The Strategic Nuclear Command forms part of India's Nuclear Command Authority . It is responsible for the management and administration of the country's tactical and strategic nuclear weapons stockpile...
(SFC) of the Army, as part of their training exercise, executed the trial with logistic support provided by Defence Research Development Organisation (DRDO) at the ITR. The Agni-I was fired from a road-mobile launcher (specially designed truck), at 9.30 a.m. and covered its targeted range in 600 seconds of flight. The missile reached its targeted area in the Bay of Bengal with full accuracy.