NEW DELHI, 15 septembre - RIA Novosti

L'Inde a mené dimanche matin un deuxième test réussi de son missile balistique Agni-V d'une portée de 5.000 km, rapporte la chaîne de télévision NDTV.

Le tir d'essai a été effectué à 4h13 UTC depuis  l'île de Wheeler, dans le golfe du Bengal, au large de l'Etat indien d'Orissa.

Le premier test de ce missile capable de porter une charge nucléaire a eu lieu en avril 2012.

La presse indienne souligne que le missile en question est capable d'atteindre Pékin, la Chine étant souvent considérée en Inde comme un ennemi militaire potentiel.

La conception du missile en question a débuté en 1983. Conçu pour emporter une ogive nucléaire de 1,5 tonne, Agni-V est un missile de trois étages de 17 mètres de long pesant près de 50 tonnes. 

Selon les sources auxquelles se réfère la chaîne NDTV, le missile doit subir encore plusieurs tests avant d'équiper l'armée indienne.

Les forces armées indiennes ont à l'heure actuelle à leur disposition des vecteurs terrestres (missiles de type Agni et Prithvi) et aériens (avions Dassault Mirage-2000 et SEPECAT Jaguar). New Delhi espère en outre acquérir la troisième composante de la triade nucléaire – posséder des sous-marins lanceurs  d'engins. En août dernier, le réacteur du sous-marin Arihant, le premier à avoir été construit en Inde, a été mis en service.  Les tests de ce dernier devraient prochainement débuter.

September 11, 2013 By  Zachary Keck - Flashpoints

India will conduct a second test of its longest range, nuclear-capable ballistic missile sometime around September 15, according to local media outlets.

On Monday, the Chennai-based The Hindu cited an unnamed official at the Defense Research and Development Organization (DRDO), India’s military technology agency, as saying that DRDO is currently preparing for the second test of the Agni-V missile at Wheeler Island. The official said the test would be conducted “around September 15,” presumably depending on how preparations go and weather conditions. The report went on to cite another Indian official as saying that two Indian naval ships were being positioned in the Indian Ocean near the target point of the test.

The Agni-V is a three-stage, solid-fueled missile that can travel 5,000 km while carrying a 1,000 km payload, making it India’s longest range missile. It is often referred to as India’s first intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) in local media. Although it demonstrates mastery of all the necessary technologies of ICBMs, technically it is only an intermediate ballistic missile as ICBMs have ranges of at least 5,500 km.  

India first tested the Agni-V in April 2012. The first test, which was also conducted at Wheeler Island, was successful and garnered a lot of excitement in India, both because of the scientific achievements involved in developing an ICBM-like missile, as well as because the Agni-V will allow India to deliver nuclear weapons to many of China’s major cities for the first time. In light of this, some in India have taken to calling the Agni-V the “China killer.”

Last month The Hindu reported Tessy Thomas, the director of the Agni Missile Project at DRDO, as saying there will be two or three more tests of the Agni-V before the missile is deemed operational in 2015. She also said that the Agni-V, like all of India’s missiles, is a “weapon of peace.”

Back in May, V.K. Saraswat, who at the time was DRDO’s Director-General, confirmed that his organization was modifying the Agni-V to enable it to carry Multiple Independently Targetable Re-entry Vehicles (MIRVs). As The Diplomat explained at the time:

“MIRVs enable ICBMs to carry multiple nuclear warheads on a single missile, and strike multiple targets or a single target with greater efficiency. After the last stage of the ICBM boosts off, a MIRVed ICBM will dispense the warheads to their separate or singular targets. Both the Soviet Union and the United States MIRVed their ICBM forces during the 1970s, which complicated arms control agreements moving forward.”

In her comments last month, Ms. Thomas implied that the modifications to allow India to MIRV its Agni-Vs had been completed successfully. This raises the possibility that the upcoming test would use a MIRVed Agni-V, although The Hindu report did not give any indication to suggest that this is the case.

25 August 2013 by nayeem sheikh - Indian Defence Goal

Working at a fast pace towards production and induction of Agni-V missile into the forces, Defence Research and Development Organisation is reportedly planning its second test fire next month. The maiden test fire of Agni-V, the first intercontinental ballistic missile of India, was carried out in April 2012. The successful trial catapulted the country into the exclusive ICBM club comprising six elite countries, United States of America, Russia, China, France and United Kingdom.

Dr V G Sekaran, chief controller R&D (Missiles & Strategic Systems) and programme director, Agni, said that while no date has been fixed for the test as of now, it will be conducted in September. “This test shall be aimed at repeatability of the previous test for stabilizing the performance of sub-systems,” he said, adding that DRDO is working at starting the production and delivery phase by 2015 for Agni-5. Dr Sekaran further revealed that the forthcoming test fire is a part of development trials (usually 2-3, if successful) and the user trials will start after this.

Meanwhile, DRDO is leaving no stone unturned for kick starting the canisterization process for Agni V by this year end. Simultaneous qualification tests will be conducted for the same as well. Canister launch of the missile will enable higher flexibility in launching speedy firing from any location on a road.

The indigenously developed 50-tonne long range surface-to-surface ballistic missile Agni-V, which is capable of carrying a nuclear warhead weighing more than a tonne, has a 5,000 km range as per DRDO officials, who confirmed that preparations are at full swing at Wheeler Island off the Odisha coast for a September launch. Once inducted, India’s range with respect to missile reach would include the entire Asia as well as parts of other continents. Agni V will be inducted into the force equipped with Multiple Independently Targetable Re-Entry Vehicles (MIRVs) for shooting multiple warheads at the same time.

RCI to celebrate silver jubilee

Research Centre Imarat, DRDO, Hyderabad, is celebrating its silver jubilee on August 26, 2013. Governor ESL Narasimhan, former president Dr APJ Abdul Kalam, minister of state for defence Jitendra Singh will be present at the celebration. RCI is the premier DRDO Laboratory spearheading the design, development and delivery of state-of-the-art avionics systems for the entire Indian missile development programmes.

HYDERABAD, May 28, 2013 Y. Mallikarjun - thehindu.com

Weapon system to be fitted with Multiple Independently Targetable Re-entry Vehicles

The configuration of Agni-V, India’s long-range nuclear weapons capable ballistic missile, is set to be changed to make the 5,000-km weapon system deadlier and capable of attacking multiple targets.

The modification is to enable fitting Agni-V with Multiple Independently Targetable Re-entry Vehicles (MIRVs), V.K. Saraswat, Director-General of the Defence Research and Development Organisation and Scientific Advisor to the Defence Minister, told The Hindu . Another test in the present configuration of the three-stage missile would be conducted later this year.

Besides imparting canister-launch capability, Agni-V would be equipped with MIRVs. “Work on that is going on and it is at design stage.”

The resounding success of the maiden flight test of Agni-V in April 2012 catapulted India into a select league of nations having the technological prowess to develop Inter-Continental Ballistic Missiles, he said.

The Agni series will form the bulwark of land version of India’s nuclear deterrence triad.

Meanwhile, the reactor on board the indigenously-built nuclear powered submarine, INS Arihant, is expected to go critical in a few weeks. The powering of the system should happen in a week or two, Dr. Saraswat said.

(Once that happens, the 80-MWt (thermal) reactor would be in a position to deliver power to the platform and sea trials of Arihant would begin subsequently when the submarine is expected to move at the designed speed, go to the diving depth, attain maximum speed and perform all safety and emergency operations).

New interceptor missile

Referring to the home-grown Ballistic Missile Defence programme, he said the next interceptor missile test to be conducted at a higher altitude of 100-150 km in July would be the most important one. “We have developed a new interceptor missile for it.”

Another crucial DRDO missile test this year would be a “repeat launch” of ‘Nirbhay’. During the maiden trial of the subsonic cruise missile, the flight had to be terminated midway after it strayed from its trajectory. Dr. Saraswat attributed the problem to a manufacturing defect in the navigation sensor. Flight tests of air-to-air Astra and anti-tank Nag missiles would be also conducted.

May 11, 2012 by Defence News Admin

The Agni-V ICBM is definitely India's answer to China's anti-satellite weapon which it had tested in January 2007.

The Agni-V ICBM is definitely India's answer to China's anti-satellite weapon which it had tested in January 2007. The US responded to the Chinese test by downing an unused satellite in 2008. In June 2010, the US indicated that they would consider a new treaty for restrictions on space-based weapons.

"Today, we have developed all the building blocks for an anti-satellite (ASAT) capability," scientific adviser to the defence minister and Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) chief Vijay Saraswat told media persons. The Agni-V test opened a new flank of vulnerability in India's $12 billion (Rs.60,000 crore) space infrastructure.

India has 10 satellites including the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) latest Radar Imaging Satellite (RISAT) 1. The satellite was launched on April 26 and has the capability to spy and identify one-metre wide objects from space. China's alarming test spurred India's quest for a similar satellite-killing system and the Agni-V gave way to that technology.

The rocket engines and the guidance system on the Agni-V can be modified & used to make it a potent satellite killer. The Agni-V ICBM scaled a height of 600 km before re-entering the atmosphere during the first test.

DRDO will field a full-fledged ASAT weapon based on Agni and ad-2 ballistic missile interceptor by 2014. The ASAT weapon will although not be publicly tested.

This was confirmed by Saraswat who says that India will not test this capability through the destruction of a satellite. Such a test risked showering lethal debris in space that could damage existing satellites. Instead, India's ASAT capability would be fine-tuned through simulated electronic tests.

Apr 1, 2012 Rajat Pandit TNN

NEW DELHI: From the first test of Agni-V in a fortnight, an operational submarine-launched ballistic missile (SLBM) by 2013 and a missile shield for Delhi by 2014 to combat drones, quick-launch micro satellites and Star Wars-like laser weapons in the coming years, DRDO promises to deliver on all fronts.

Defence Research and Development Organization, with its 51 labs, of course, often makes tall claims only to consistently overshoot timelines and cost estimates. But DRDO chief Dr V K Saraswat on Saturday, at the ongoing ''DefExpo-2012'' here, was all gung-ho about the tactical and strategic weapon systems in the pipeline.

For starters, India's most-ambitious nuclear missile, Agni-V, which classifies as an ICBM (intercontinental ballistic missile) with a strike range of over 5,000-km, will be tested in mid-April, he said.

The three-stage Agni-V, with its advanced ring-laser gyros, composite rocket motors and highly accurate micro-navigation systems, comes close to the top American missiles in terms of technology, said Saraswat.

India will break into the exclusive ICBM club that counts just US, Russia, China, France and UK as its members, once the 50-tonne Agni-V is ready for induction by 2014-2015. The solid-fuelled missile, with a canister-launch system to impart greater operational flexibility, is crucial for India's nuclear deterrence posture since its strike envelope will be able to cover the whole of China.

Concurrently, said Saraswat, ''The K-15 SLBM is now getting ready for the final phase of induction after its two recent tests (from submersible pontoons) were successful...We have done over 10 flights of it so far.''

The 750-km-range K-15, followed by the 3,500-km K-4, will arm India's homegrown nuclear submarines. INS Arihant, which is undergoing trials now, for instance, has four silos on its hump to carry either 12 K-15s or four K-4s to complete India's long quest for ''an operational nuclear weapon triad''.

As for the two-tier ballistic missile defence (BMD) system, designed to track and destroy incoming hostile missiles both inside (endo) and outside (exo) the earth's atmosphere, Saraswat said its Phase-I would be completed by 2013 and Phase-II by 2016. ''We will test the exo-atmospheric interceptor at 150-km altitude this year, which will be followed by an endo-atmospheric test at 30-km altitude,'' he said.

With the Capital identified as the first city to get its protection, DRDO has also begun work to add a third tier to the BMD system to intercept cruise missiles, artillery projectiles and the like at lower altitudes, in the line with the overall aim to achieve ''near 100% kill or interception probability''.

DRDO is now also focusing on ''space security'', with special emphasis on protecting the country's space assets from electronic, or physical destruction by ''direct-ascent'' missiles, in the backdrop of China developing advanced ASAT (anti-satellite) capabilities.

Work is also in progress to develop several directed energy weapons (DEWs), including a 25-kilowatt laser system to destroy incoming missiles in their terminal stage and a 100-kilowatt solid-state laser system to take out missiles in their boost phase itself.

''We also need to build the capability to provide launch-on-demand mini or micro satellites to our armed forces for communication and navigation facilities (in the event the country's satellites being destroyed by an enemy),'' said the DRDO chief.

3 Jun, 2011THE ECONOMIC TIMES

NEW DELHI: India will by year-end test its 5,000-km intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM), often termed the China killer " for its ability to reach the northernmost areas of that country, the head of a premier defence research agency said on Friday when Defence Minister AK Antony asked for the expeditious development of the Agni-V missile system.

" DRDO ( Defence Research and Development Organisation )) has developed a spectrum of missiles with a different range and payload capability. Now, DRDO must demonstrate its capability to reach a range of 5,000 km at the earliest, Antony said at a function at the research agency.

DRDO chief VK Saraswat , who was present beside Antony, said Agni-V will be tested by the end of this year.

Antony also asked the agency to also develop a "credible" Ballistice Missile Defence (BMD) system to intercept enemy missiles that may target India, thereby taking the county into an elite club of nations such as the US.

"The interceptor missile development programme has taken India into an elite club of nations that possess the capability to demonstrate and deploy missile defence. DRDO should now work towards developing a credible ballistic missile defence for our country," Antony told the gathering of defence scientists.

India is in the process of developing its own BMD system and has carried out six tests in the last two years, of which four have been successful.

The BMD programme comprises a two-tiered system called Prithvi Air Defence ( PAD )) for high-altitude interception at 50-80 km and Advanced Air Defence ( AAD )) for low-altitude interception 15-30 km.

India has also inducted its latest 3,000-km Agni-III missile into the armed forces and has begun serialised production of the weapon system.

Agni-III, Saraswat pointed out, is an inducted missile. "So there is no confusion whether or when it will be inducted. Agni-III is an inducted missile. It has completed its complete development and is under production," he added.