Agni-V ballistic missile

#GS-03 Science and Technology

Agni-V

It is India’s most advanced surface-to-surface indigenously built It is a three–stage, solid fuel 17-metre-tall
The missile has a range of more than 5,000 km and is capable of carrying nuclear warhead of more than one tonne.
It is the latest in India’s “Agni” family of medium to intercontinental range missiles.
It can target almost all of Asia including Pakistan and China and Europe.
Agni is a fire and forgets ballistic missile and once fired cannot be stopped, except by an interceptor
It is one of the missiles developed under the Integrated Guided Missile Development Programme (IGMDP).
Agni V allows India to join an elite club of nations that possess the ICBM launch

The Strategic Forces Command (SFC), sometimes called Strategic Nuclear Command, is the major part of India’s Nuclear Command Authority (NCA).
Agni V along with other nuclear capable ballistic missiles are operated by the Strategic Forces Command.
It was created on 4 January 2003 to manage and administer all strategic forces by exercising complete command and control over nuclear assets.

It was conceived by Dr A.P.J. Abdul Kalam with an aim to enable India to attain self-sufficiency in the field of missile technology.
It was initiated by Government of India in 1983 and was successfully completed in January 8, 2008.
The 5 missiles developed under this program are Prithvi, Agni, Trishul, Nag, Akash.

Abdul Kalam Island was formerly known as Wheeler Island, and is an island off the coast of Odisha.
On 4 September 2015, the island was renamed in honour of the late president of India, Dr. A. P. J. Abdul Kalam.
The Integrated Test Range missile testing facility is located on the island, and serves as the test facility for most of India’s missiles.