After the successful launch of the 5000 km range Agni-V ballistic missile, India's Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO)...
After the successful launch of the 5000 km range Agni-V ballistic missile, India's Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), is set to develop a 6000km range Agni-VI missile.
Unlike the other strategic missiles developed by DRDO, the Agni-VI will carry multiple warheads-multiple independently targetable re-entry vehicles [MIRV].
Missile will carry four or six warheads depending upon their weights.
Although, Indian government is yet to sanction Agni-VI project, the DRDO has done all the enabling studies, finalised the missile’s design and started working on the engineering part. It had also figured out how to anchor four or six warheads in the vehicle, how to disperse them and the pattern of their dispersal.
The warheads could be released in an order, one after another. If one warhead were to hit a place, another couldfall 100 km away from it.
Both Agni-V and Agni-VI have three stages, all powered by solid propellants, and their diameter is two metres. And the comparison ends there.
While Agni-V weighs 50 tonnes and is 17.5 metres long, while Agni-VI belongs to the 65-70-tonne class and will be 20 metres long.
It would be road-mobile and blast off from trucks with launching platforms.
Agni-VI would be the first true Inter-continental Ballistic Missile(ICBM) developed by India. MIRV capable missile will ensure a credible second strike capability even with few missiles.
