Balasore: India will enter an exclusive league of nations with a nuclear-capable weapon system with a range of over 5,000-km in its arsenal with first test of the Agni V missile planned on Wednesday.
The DRDO will be test firing the Agni V missile from Wheeler Island in Odisha. The missile has a range of 5,000 kilometres, a marked improvement over India's current missiles which can hit potential enemy targets over a distance of just 3,500 kilometres.
The three stage solid fuelled missile would be put into test for the first time with some advance and indigenous technology with the support of a canisterised mobile launcher. It can withstand the 5000 degree centigrade temperatures when re-entering the earth's atmosphere.
The Agni V is capable of carrying nuclear warheads and will be crucial for India's defence against China.
If the trial is successful, it will club India into a select band of countries in the world to possess the technology for Inter-Continental Ballistic Missiles (ICBM).
The surface-to-surface missile Agni V which can carry a pay-load of 1 tonne is 17 m long, 2 m wide and weighs 50 tonnes.
Scientists associated with Agni V project are quite optimistic about its performances, as the first trial of Agni V on November 15 last year was highly satisfactory in terms of its 'control and guidance' system.
The 5000 km range Agni V missile would add another feather to such class of missiles that India possesses at present. The Agni-I has 700 km, Agni-2 (2,000 km), Agni-III and IV (3,000 plus km) range.
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