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| Agni-IV (Image: Wikipedia) |
By Benjamin David Baker
India conducts another successful test flight of its Agni-IV ICBM. Does this mean Delhi has a credible nuclear triad?
As reported by the Hindu yesterday, India completed its fourth trial launch of the Agni-IV ICBM today. The trial was apparently successful; an Agni-IV was launched from a land-based mobile missile launcher on the Indian Army’s test site on Wheeler Island, cruised at an altitude of 600 km before splashing down in the Bay of Bengal after a 3,000 km flight.
All radar stations, telemetry, and electro-optical systems along the east coast monitored the performance of the missile during the entire operation and, according to a Defense Research and Development Organization (DRDO) official, “Flight was successful and it met all the mission parameters.”
According to DRDO, the Agni-IV missile is equipped with 5th generation onboard computer and distributed architecture. It has the latest features to correct and guide itself for in-flight disturbances. Its ring laser gyro-based inertial navigation system is supported by a highly reliable redundant micro navigation system that ensures the vehicle reaches the target within two-digit accuracy. The re-entry heat shield can withstand temperatures in the range of 4,000 degrees centigrade and makes sure the avionics function normally with inside temperature remaining less than 50 degrees centigrade
The Agni-IV is designed to carry a one-tonne nuclear payload over a range of 3,500 km. The Agni missile series represent a crucial component of India’s nuclear strategic deterrence arsenal.
Read the full story at The Diplomat