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| Economic times |
China is already protesting against Agni V. A few days ago, the Financial Times reported that China had built a hypersonic missile but was hiding it. For a missile to be included in the hypersonic category, a minimum Mach 5 speed is required. This means 5 times the speed of sound.
A typical example is the small eastern village of Arunachal Pradesh, Kibithu, which is the easternmost point of India. It is a very beautiful village built at an altitude of about 3550 meters. Whereas Ghuar Mota, located in the Runn of Kutch Gujarat, is the westernmost point of India. The distance from Kibithu in Arunachal Pradesh to Ghaur Mota in Gujarat is about 3790 km. So the hypersonic missile would take 40 minutes to reach a house in Gujarat from Kibtihu whereas the speed of Agni V is believed to be many times more than it.
Agni V: a bone of contention between China and India:
We will analyze how much India has benefited from the Agni 5 tests strategically, and we will also know why China speaks against it.
What is Agni V:
India had started working on the Agni V series since 1989 but it had tested the first missile named Agni I. Its range was around 1000 km, meaning short-range missiles. Another category is the Intermediate-range ballistic missiles or IRBMs. These are missiles with a range of more than 3,000 km and less than 5,500 km. In 1989, only the USA, Soviet Russia, China, France, and Israel had IRBM missiles. The DRDO had since then started working on Agni's Intermediate-Range and today India has a fully operational IRBM named Agni-III missile.
Here are some of the highlights of the Agni V missile that you should know:
Intercontinental:
Agni V is India's advanced surface-to-surface ICBM -- intercontinental ballistic missile-- with a range of at least 5,000 Km. Intercontinental means the capability of a direct strike from one continent to another. Any missile needs a range of at least 5500 to be in the category of ICBM. Since Agni V can easily reach some parts of the continent of Europe, it is considered an ICBM. Many media reports say that the real range of Agni V is 8000 km or more, but perhaps the Indian government does not want to reveal it. Agni V is a 3-stage solid-fuel missile that can easily carry a nuclear warhead of up to 1.5 tons.
Fire and Forget category:
Another specialty of it is that it is a Fire and Forget category missile. Once fired, it will definitely hit the target. Agni missiles have been developed and enhanced by the IGMDP, a guided missile development program, integrated under the Defense Research and Development Organization of India (DRDO).
Past experience of Agni V:
As we have said before, India has already tested this missile. The first Agni V test was conducted in April 2012 and the second test was conducted in September 2013, followed by the third test in January 2015. The other 3 tests were conducted in January, June, and December of 2018. The last 6 tests have been done by the DRDO team.
Concern for China:
The point seen on the map is the northernmost point of China called Mohe city. There are updates that Agni V will be deployed by India in its northeastern region so that the range of Agni V can reach the northernmost point of China very easily. It will surely raise concerns in China that have already developed hypersonic missiles. Future will tell to which direction winds will blow.
Read: China’s hypersonic: Shifts in global power
MIRV and Agni V:
India is working on developing Agni V into a MIRV missile. MIRV means Multiple Independently Targeted Reentry Vehicle. In simple language, the technique of hitting the target separately in many places is called MIRV. If a missile has a single warhead on it and has a single spot as a target, but a missile whose path is such that it has the power to hit multiple targets at the same time, then this becomes another achievement. According to some sources, it is being said that India has already developed MIRV and is not declaring deliberately. If you want to see the example of MIRV, you can watch the cover of the science fiction film, “The Cover,” which was released in 2003.
Speed:
China has developed a hypersonic missile with a speed of 5 Mach. Interestingly, sources from India claim the speed of India's Agni V missile is 24 Mach, which is 24 times faster than the speed of sound.
Undetectable:
Another thing is that once the Agni V reaches the speed of 24, it is almost impossible to be detected. According to many strategic experts, India does not want to deliberately claim Agni V under the category of hypersonic because it benefits India strategically and diplomatically as the eyes of other international organizations will start gazing at India. Further, India would like to remain silent after the arrival of S400 missiles. If Agni V is such a strong defence technology, China will be worried about why it might face a strong challenge.
Read: World War III: Nuclear war will take humanity by storm:
Recent developments in the missile system are a clear violation of the nuclear non-proliferation system. Humanity is heading for a catastrophe that, once revealed, will never end.
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