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Agni-VI (Sanskrit: अग्नि; IAST: Agni; lit. Fire) is an MIRV-capable intercontinental ballistic missile under development by the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) for the Strategic Forces Command (SFC) of the Indian Armed Forces.

Description

Agni-VI will be a four-stage intercontinental ballistic missile, which is in the hardware development phase, after its design phase was completed. Agni-VI is expected to have Multiple independently targetable reentry vehicle as well as Maneuverable reentry vehicle (MaRV). And these maneuverable warheads will give Agni VI an extended range exact figure of which is currently classified. It will be taller than its predecessor Agni V, and was expected to be flight tested by 2017. The government of India is yet to approve the project, although DRDO has completed all calculations and started the engineering work.

It is reported to be the latest and most advanced version among the Agni missiles. According to sources, Agni-VI missile is likely to carry up to 10 MIRV warheads and will have a strike range of 12,000 km, though DRDO has refused to confirm the missile's range. A senior DRDO scientist was quoted as saying that the new generation Agni-VI missile will be sleeker, easily transportable and would be readily deployed. It will have the capability to be launched from submarine and from land-based launchers.

History

A report from Centre for Land Warfare Studies published in 2011 suggested that New Delhi had not considered the need for an ICBM, despite India not being bound by any treaty commitments to refrain from developing ICBM capability. It also said that DRDO is constrained by the requirement to obtain government's permission before starting the development of an ICBM.

In June 2011, for the first time then IAF Chief Marshal Pradeep Vasant Naik vehemently argued in favour of broadening India's nuclear strike capabilities beyond the immediate neighbourhood. Naik, who was also the head of the Chiefs of Staff committee, stated, "India should pursue an ICBM programme to acquire ranges of 10,000 km or more. Breaking out of the regional context is important as the country's sphere of influence grows. We have no territorial designs on any country, but India needs the capability to match its sphere of influence."

In October 2011, The Pioneer published a report questioning DRDO's ability to independently develop seeker technology (guidance technology) suitable for ICBMs, that could enable the missile to traverse long distances in excess of 10,000 km. The same report also asserted Russia's willingness to help India with seeker technology. The authenticity of the pioneer report is disputed by at least one foreign newspaper, with the counter-claim that the involvement of Russia is probably inflated out of proportion, because if the report about Russian involvement is true, Russia may be suspected of violating the Missile Technology Control Regime. In response to the scepticism, a top DRDO scientist asserted that India has all the equipment and technology needed to develop ICBMs, "but where the warhead should go or what the range should be will have to be a political call."

On 20 June 2011, Indian Defence News published an article titled India Serious About 10,000 km ICBM which stated that India is seriously contemplating to enhance the reach of its strategic missiles and that the Ministry of Defense is considering a DRDO proposal to develop intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) capable of hitting targets 10,000 km away. Building an ICBM has international ramifications and the ultimate decision to go ahead with the proposal would be taken by the Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS).

In April 2012, after the successful launch of Agni V, Saraswat revealed that India had no plans to cap the Agni program and that there will be more missiles in the future.

Recent developments

In May 2018, reports confirmed the development of another ICBM in the Agni series, a three-stage Agni VI missile. It was proposed that the missile will be developed in 2024 or so and will have an even longer range, up to 8,000 km to 12,000 km. The Agni VI will be sleeker than the Agni-V and capable of carrying at least 10 nuclear warheads, capable of targeting multiple targets at the same time. In January 2013, DRDO chief V K Saraswat said that after the development of Agni V, DRDO will develop Agni VI which will have Multiple Independently Targetable Re-entry Vehicle (MIRV) capability. He said that the missile design has been completed and DRDO is in the hardware realisation phase. In September 2013, DRDO chief said that India can achieve a missile with a range of 10,000 km within two and a half years, adding that increasing the range of a missile is the least challenging task. As per people related to Agni VI development, government officials carefully watched 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine and how ICBM played its role in geopolitics. By 2025, unofficially India might go ahead with technology demonstrator to validate computer simulations to cover furthest corner of China from a safer survival distance. The Agni VI programme is already on track and DRDO is simultaneously working on SLBM variant.

The DRDO scientist from Pune, Pradeep Kurulkar, who was honey trapped by a Pakistani agent, for the first time publicly revealed the details concerning Agni-VI launcher's development in 2023.

See also

• India and weapons of mass destruction
• Agni I
• Surya missile

Related development

• Agni III
• K Series missiles

Related lists

• List of nuclear weapons
• List of states with nuclear weapons

References

1. ^ "Agni-VI with 12000 km range to be ready by 2014". IBNLive. 24 May 2012. Archived from the original on 25 May 2012. Retrieved 17 July 2012.
2. ^ Subramanian, T. S. (4 February 2013). "Agni-VI all set to take shape". The Hindu. Retrieved 5 February 2013.
3. ^ O'Donnell, Frank. "Managing India's Missile Aspirations". Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses. Retrieved 19 February 2013.
4. "One missile, many weapons: What makes the latest Agni-5 special". The Indian Express. 12 March 2024. Retrieved 12 March 2024.
5. ^ Shukla, Ajai. "Advanced Agni-6 missile with multiple warheads likely by 2017". Business Standard. Retrieved 8 May 2013.
6. ^ Jatinder Kaur Tur (27 May 2012). "India will launch Agni VI next, says DRDO chief". Deccan Chronicle. Archived from the original on 28 May 2012. Retrieved 17 July 2012.
7. Prerna Singh (2010). Atul Kohli (ed.). Routledge handbook of Indian politics. London: Routledge. p. 345. ISBN 978-0415776851.
8. "Successful Test launch of AGNI V". pib.gov.in. Retrieved 1 December 2019.
9. "Get ready for Agni-VI, which can deliver 4 to 6 warheads 12000 km away". India. 4 February 2013. Retrieved 5 February 2013.
10. "Agni-V with China in range tested; next in line is Agni-VI, with multiple warheads". The Times of India. 27 December 2016.
11. "India's need for an ICBM". Center For Land Warfare Studies. 5 July 2011. Retrieved 22 February 2012.
12. ^ "Air chief PV Naik in favour of flexing missile power". Archived from the original on 27 June 2012.
13. "With Russian help, India to join ICBM big league soon". Dailypioneer. Archived from the original on 26 April 2012.
14. Administrator (10 October 2011). "Indian media said Russia will provide for the Indian Agni-5 intercontinental missile guidance technology". Military of China, force comment. Archived from the original on 7 June 2015. Retrieved 5 March 2012.
15. Courtesy, The Pioneer (20 June 2011). "India Serious About 10,000 km ICBM". Indian Defence News. Archived from the original on 26 April 2012. Retrieved 9 March 2012.
16. "Agni V can launch mini-satellites too". Deccan Herald. 20 April 2012.
17. "Why Agni P's Successful Test Is A Significant Boost For Indian Forces". Moneycontrol. 29 June 2021. Retrieved 29 June 2021.
18. "DRDO developing missile capable of carrying multiple warheads". Zee News. 8 February 2013. Retrieved 8 February 2013.
19. "India working on Agni-VI missile, to be in world's elite nuclear club". The Indian Express. 8 February 2013. Retrieved 8 February 2013.
20. "India developing Agni-VI ballistic missile". News Bulletin. 8 February 2013. Archived from the original on 29 October 2013. Retrieved 8 February 2013.
21. "India can develop 10,000 km range missile: DRDO". The Times of India. 16 September 2013. Retrieved 6 November 2019.
22. O'Connor, Tom (4 March 2022). "Ukraine conflict risks new U.S.-Russia arms race, world closer to nuclear war". Newsweek. Retrieved 28 July 2022.
23. "Russia-Ukraine war: US cancels ballistic missile test to lower nuclear tensions". Mint. 2 April 2022. Retrieved 28 July 2022.
24. Linganna, Girish (28 July 2022). "India may test 10,000 km ICBM, Agni-6 Missile in the next 3 years". Frontier India. Retrieved 28 July 2022.
25. Inamdar, Nadeem; Joshi, Yogesh (8 July 2023). "Honey-trapped DRDO scientist shared details of India's missile, drone programmes". Hindustan Times. Retrieved 11 March 2024.

• Ballistic missiles of India
• Intermediate-range ballistic missiles
• Intercontinental ballistic missiles
• MIRV capable missiles