Mission Divyastra successful: A look at evolution of Agni missiles over time

India on Monday successfully conducted the flight test of the indigenously developed Agni-5 missile equipped with technology to deploy multiple warheads.

The success of ‘Mission Divyastra’ was announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The Agni missiles are designed and developed by Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO). With Agni-5, India’s indigenously developed missiles have come a long way.

Agni-1 is the first of the five-missile Agni series launched in 1983 by DRDO. It is a nuclear-capable missile and can carry a payload of up to 1,000 kg. It has a range of 700 kilometres.

Agni-2
First test fired in 1999, Agni-2 is an intermediate-range ballistic missile which can carry a payload of 1,000 kg. The surface-to-surface missile is 20 metres long and has a range of 2,000 to 2,500 kilometres.

The two-stage missile is also equipped with an advanced high-accuracy navigation system.

Agni-3
A successor of Agni-2, Agni-3 is also an intermediate-range ballistic missile and can reach upto 3,500 kilometres. The two-stage missile can carry a payload of 1,500 kilograms.

The circular error probable (CEP) of the Agni-3 missile is around 40 metres. The missile was integrated inducted into the armed forces in 2011.