NEWS – Agni-5 Intermediate Range Ballistic Missile Successfully Test-Fired

HIGHLIGHTS

• On August 20, 2025, India successfully test-fired its Intermediate Range Ballistic Missile (IRBM) Agni-5 from the Integrated Test Range, Chandipur, Odisha.
• The trial was conducted by the Strategic Forces Command (SFC), the operational user of the system.
• According to the Ministry of Defence, the test validated all operational and technical parameters.

Missile Specifications

• Range: Approx. 5,000 km (though officially not mentioned, a NOTAM indicated ~4,800 km).
• Design: 17.5 meters long, weighing 50 tons, three-stage solid-fuel rocket.
• Capabilities:
  • Nuclear-capable
  • Incorporates indigenous technologies such as:
    • Composite rocket motor
    • Advanced avionics
    • 5th-gen distributed architecture On-Board Computer
    • Ring Laser Gyro-based Inertial Navigation System (RINS)
    • Micro Navigation System
    • Re-entry shield capable of withstanding >4,000°C, ensuring safety of avionics.

Background

• First tested: 2012 by the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO).
• Significance: Marked India’s entry into the select group of nations with intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) capability.
• User trials: After multiple developmental tests, the missile was handed over to SFC; the first user trial took place in 2021.