- Overview: India has shattered previous strategic limits. Today, the Defense Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) successfully launched the highly classified Agni-VI Intercontinental Ballistic Missile (ICBM) from Abdul Kalam Island.
- Key Points:
- True Global Reach: The Agni-VI boasts an estimated strike range of over 10,000 kilometers. This effectively brings virtually any hostile target across the globe into India’s strategic crosshairs.
- MIRV Payload Enabled: Like the recently tested Agni-V ‘Divyaastra’, this super-heavy missile carries Multiple Independently Targetable Re-entry Vehicles (MIRVs). It can drop multiple warheads on entirely different targets simultaneously.
- Submarine Launch Capable: Engineers have designed the Agni-VI to be highly adaptable. Future variants will be integrated into India’s nuclear submarines, supercharging the naval leg of the nuclear triad.
- The Ultimate Deterrent: This launch places India in the elite club of global superpowers possessing super-heavy, long-range ICBMs, drastically altering the global balance of power.
- Q1. In missile classification, what defines an Intercontinental Ballistic Missile (ICBM)?
- A missile that never leaves the Earth’s atmosphere.
- A ballistic missile with a minimum range of 5,500 kilometers, designed primarily for nuclear weapons delivery.
- A cruise missile that travels at hypersonic speeds over the ocean.
- A missile launched exclusively from space satellites.
