N-sub INS Arihant to test-fire missile

Ajay Banerjee

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, July 9

Altering India’s strategic offensive, nuclear-powered submarine INS Arihant will undergo its first-ever missile firing test this year, while separately a 10,000-km range nuclear missile is planned to match neighbour China’s growing arsenal.

The Defence Research Development and Organisation (DRDO) has proposed the new missile AGNI-VI that comes after the success of AGNI-V which is slated for a possible final test in December this year.

Dr S. Chirstopher, Director General of DRDO and Secretary Research and Development, told The Tribune on Thursday that India can have a missile that can travel a distance of 10,000 km, albeit with a smaller warhead than the AGNI-V.

“We have to now present our case to the government for explaining the need for such a missile”, Dr Chirstopher said while accepting that AGNI-VI is on the drawing board. This will be an Inter-Continental Ballatic Missile (ICBM) like AGNI-V.

Speaking about the Arihant, the indigenous nuclear-powered Submarine, Dr Chirstopher said “the vessel is slated for deep diving tests and the missile named ‘B-05’ is to be test-fired from the vessel. These tests will be done within this year”.

The B-05 missile is capable of carrying a nuclear-tipped warhead and is a medium-range missile, he said.

The DRDO chief said the long-range submarine-fired K-4 missile is not slated for testing now.
The AGNI-V possible last test slated in December could be its last before it’s inducted. “To declare a missile proven, we need three consecutive successful tests. In case the next test is okay, we can taper off the testing”. The missile can fire at targets 5,500 km away.

AGNI-V has undergone its last flight test in February this year. The first test was conducted on April 19, 2012, and the second test on September 15, 2013.

India has at present in its armoury of Agni series, Agni-1 with 700 km range, Agni-2 with 2,000 km range, Agni-3 and Agni-4 with 2,500 km to more than 3,500 km range.