Agni V Missile

[IBRIS]

China displays sudden interest in the Agni-V news

China displays sudden interest in the Agni-V news

Rajiv Singh
16 October 2009

Beijing: In a bid to deflect attention from the increasing curiosity it's extremely ambitious military programme has been causing amongst nations the Chinese media has exhibited sudden interest in India's under-development, inter-continental, nuclear-capable missile-the Agni-V. A brief report in the People's Daily on the Agni-V emerges even as media coverage around the world focuses on the capabilities of the Chinese inter-continental missile, the Dong Feng-31A (East Wind), which made its appearance during China's National Day Military Parade on 1 October.

The startling reference to the Agni-V (Fire) may have to be seen in this context for China has come under extreme pressure from military powers around the world to be more transparent about its military expenditure and the development of its military power. Even as it seeks to cast its lot with developing nations in world economic forums, China fails to provide adequate explanations where it finds the vast sums of money it dedicates to the development of military hardware which surpass the needs of any conventional military power.

What may have surprised Indian observers even more is that any discussion or reference to India in mainstream Chinese media is invariably in reference to developments pertaining to the northeastern Indian state of Arunachal Pradesh.So the reference to Agni-V is not only out of the blue, but also without any relevant context.

This is the report from People's Daily in its entirety:
''India's Advanced Systems Laboratory (ASL) has made its forthcoming Agni-5 missile highly road-mobile, or easily transportable by road, which would bring Harbin, China's northernmost city within striking range if the Agni-5 is moved to northeast India.

''The Agni-5 is similar to the Dong Feng-31A presented in China's National Day Military Parade in Beijing . India is going to test-fire the missile in early 2011.

''The ASL, which develops India's long-range, nuclear-tipped missiles, enables the Agni-5 to reach targets far beyond its stated 5,000-km range by quickly moving closer to the target. Therefore, from various places across India, the Agni-5 can reach every continent except North and South America.''

DF-31A and the Agni-V

China has developed an improved variant of the DF-31 called the DF-31A, which has a reported range of 11,200 plus kilometres. It has some MIRV capability which may allow it to deploy three warheads, each capable of a 20-150 KT yield. It will also deploy decoys that can complicate missile defence systems.

In 2009 US Air Force Intelligence reported that under 15 DF-31A missiles had been deployed.

From reports, the Agni-V would appear to be an upgraded version of the Agni-III, which has been successfully tested. The missile is expected to have a range of about 5000-6000 km and is expected to undergo its first flight test sometime in late 2010, or early 2011.

The Agni-V would be able to target most of the northern cities of China, including Harbin,

The Agni-V is a three stage solid fueled missile with composite motor casing in the third stage. Two stages of this missile are constructed of composite material which will help in reducing weight and increasing range. The Agni-V will be India's first missile to carry multiple warheads (MIRV) which will also deploy countermeasures against anti-ballistic missile systems.

The Agni-V will be a canisterised, road-mobile missile, and in this it will be similar to the Dong Feng-31A. In this it will also differ from its parent, the Agni-III, which is non-canisterised and can only be moved from place to place with some difficulty.

Made of maraging steel, a canister provides a hermetically-sealed atmosphere that preserves the missile for years.

The Agni-V will carry 3-10 MIRV's or separate nuclear warheads.

domain-b.com : China displays sudden interest in the Agni-V

 

[p2prada]

So bro do you have any idea about the payload of Agni 5, since each website is giving diff values, i am bit confused.

Guys since Shaurya is a spin off of Sagarika [k-15] missile ,can we expect a SLBM version of Agni-5,as it is a canister launched.

By a long shot. The canister version of the Agni 5 will not fit in the present ATVs. The Agni 5 is an Agni 3 with an extra stage.

Maybe later, when we field larger SSBNs.

 

[LETHALFORCE]

India surprised by Chinese fuss over Agni-V - India - The Times of India

India surprised by Chinese fuss over Agni-V

NEW DELHI: The Indian defence establishment has been left baffled by a brouhaha being generated in China over

the yet-to-be-tested Agni-V
ballistic missile. ``It seems quite contrived,'' said a top official.

For one, Agni-V's first test is likely to take place only in end-2010 or early-2011. From there, it will take at least three years before the missile can be dubbed fully-operational since it will require four-five more tests, series production and user-trials by armed forces.

For another, the 5,000-km strike range of Agni-V pales in comparison to already-operational Chinese missiles like Dong Feng-31A, which can hit targets 11,200 km away, or even the JL-2 submarine-launched ballistic missile with a reach beyond 7,200 km.

``China's missile and nuclear arsenal is leagues ahead of India, capable as it is of hitting any city in India. We can never compete. Our entire focus is on building only credible minimum deterrence against China, not active offensive capabilities,'' said the official.

Agni-V, much like the 3,500-km Agni-III, which has been successfully tested a couple of times, has been designed in keeping with this strategy. The already-inducted Prithvi (150-350-km), Agni-I (700-km) and Agni-II (2,000-km) are more Pakistan-specific in nature.

As earlier reported by TOI, the solid-fuelled Agni-V, for which the government has sanctioned around Rs 2,500 crore, will be a canister-launch missile system to ensure it has the requisite operational flexibility to be fired from any part of the country.

The ongoing work on Agni-V basically revolves around incorporating a third composite stage in the two-stage 16.7-metre tall Agni-III, along with some advanced technologies like ring laser gyroscope and accelerator for navigation and guidance.

Though slightly short of true ICBMs, which have ranges in excess of 5,500 km, Agni-Vs will come in special storage-cum-launch canisters, making it much easier to store them for long periods without maintenance as well as to handle and transport.

So, conceivably, Agni-V will be capable of being swiftly moved closer to the border with China to substantially enhance its strike range into the country. What has exercised China is the fact this will bring even its northern-most city, Habin, within the missile's strike envelope.

Moreover, DRDO is also developing MIRV (multiple independently targetable re-entry vehicles) warheads for the Agni missiles. An MIRV payload basically is a bunch of several nuclear warheads carried on a single missile, which can be programmed to hit different targets separated from each other. Given this, even ballistic missile defence systems can be overwhelmed by MIRVs.

This fits in with India's nuclear doctrine, which holds that even though there will be no first-use, ``nuclear retaliation to a first strike will be massive and designed to inflict unacceptable damage''.

 

[dineshchaturvedi]

Cannot wait for Agni V to be operational. I wish this project all the best. I cannot understand why Chinese people are so aggressive against us, for no rhyme and reason.

 

[Arun]

Cannot wait for Agni V to be operational. I wish this project all the best. I cannot understand why Chinese people are so aggressive against us, for no rhyme and reason.

Well it seems like their media is following the foot steps of "Great Indian Media",its just a media a hype.For example when pakistan tests missiles like shaheen-ll our media will press the panic button,like wise chinese might have done that.

On the other hand china doesn't have an active anti ballistic missile shield ,apart from HQ-19 [s-400].Also the MIRV technology might have caused the panic.

 

[LETHALFORCE]

China’s Reacts Strongly to New Indian Nuclear Missile | 2point6billion.com - Foreign Direct Investment in Asia

China’s Reacts Strongly to New Indian Nuclear Missile

Oct.17 – The Indian and Chinese press have been in a state after initial reports in China’s People’s Daily reported that India’s latest long-range nuclear-capable missile under development will be able to target China’s northernmost city of Harbin.

“India’s Advanced Systems Laboratory (ASL) has made its forthcoming Agni-5 missile highly road-mobile, or easily transportable by road, which would bring Harbin, China’s northernmost city within striking range if the Agni-5 is moved to northeast India,” People’s Daily reported.

But this reaction by the Chinese has left many in India baffled “It seems quite contrived,” one top official told the Times of India. The Agni-5 missile has yet to be tested.

“China’s missile and nuclear arsenal is leagues ahead of India, capable as it is of hitting any city in India. We can never compete,” the official told the paper. “Our entire focus is on building only credible minimum deterrence against China, not active offensive capabilities,” they said.

The Agni-5 is similar to the Dongfeng-31A which could be seen on display in China’s National Day parade in Beijing . According to the People’s Daily, India is going to test-fire the missile in early 2011.

 

[proud_hindustani]

Hope India develops this missile as soon as possible, make a successful testing, puts it under operational and see chinese dropping their jaws down with wide open eyes.

 

[proud_hindustani]

Cannot wait for Agni V to be operational. I wish this project all the best. I cannot understand why Chinese people are so aggressive against us, for no rhyme and reason.

dude Agni V is a MIRV missile. Creating a MIRV missile is extremely difficult tasks. Only America and Russia have such missiles. If India successfully develops this missile and put it under inductions. Invading on India would become a dream to China.

 

[ppgj]

India does not have an ICBM programme

But will test 5,000-km range Agni-V in a year

Published :February 2010

New Delhi. With the 3500-km Agni-III all set for induction after three successful trials, India is gearing up to test its 5,000-km range Agni-V nuclear tipped missile in a year's time. However, the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) has clarified that it has no Inter Continental Ballistic Missile (ICBM) Programme.

The Agni-V, to be developed under the Integrated Guided Missile Development Programme, has moved out of the drawing board and currently the technical evaluation of the sub-systems is being carried out, DRDO chief and scientific advisor to the Defence Minister V.K. Saraswat said.

"The first launch will be in an year's time, then a couple of tests and then we can think of induction. We are confident that the building blocks (for the Agni-III missiles) are in fairly matured stage," Saraswat told newsmen here after DRDO’s successful test of Agni-III.

The three-stage missile will be similar to Agni-III in design and diameter, with its length five metres more than it. But Agni-V can carry a 1.5 ton nuclear warhead.

"Agni-III design is frozen... Agni-V has crossed material cutting stage and subsystem testing is going on. Agni-V is a derivative of Agni-III. Practically it is the same missile but it is five metres longer and one tonne heavier. Its navigation system is same.

"Sixty percent missile is available and we are just adding another stage. It will be a three-stage missile and it is the first time we will be building a three-stage missile," Saraswat pointed out.

The missile marks the near-culmination of the Agni series of strategic missile programme, and Saraswat said that DRDO does not have any plans to make a full fledged Intercontinental Ballistic Missile.

“Agni-V is 5,000 km plus range. The range is adequate for our strategic needs. We do not have ICBM programme. Our threat mitigation demands this range,” said Saraswat.

It may be noted that DRDO gets into a research programme after indications from the government about the threat perceptions and the need for dissuasive diplomacy and deterrence to ward off hostile elements around India. Privately, Indian scientists say that propulsion is not much of a problem and the requirement for long-range precision has also been addressed “more or less.” All programmes need to be tweaked with more tests and experience, but what the DRDO eventually undertakes and develops is in accordance with government directives.

There is not specific directive for an ICBM, a missile with – or in excess of – 5,500 km. Agni-V will be a quantum jump though as not many countries have home-grown ballistic missile technology for this range.

The DRDO has been able to set its eye on Agni-V as Agni-III, with its range of 3,500 km, is ready for induction after successful trial conducted by the Strategic Forces Command, the user, on Feb 7.

Programme director Avinash Chander said: "Agni-III has completed three successful trials. Now we can start doing the induction process. It is 100 percent indigenous with more than 80 percent coming from the Indian industries."

Saraswat said the technology of Agni-III is better than that of China in terms of accuracy. The Agni-III system is rail-mobile, like Agni-II. The future 5,000-km-range missile is planned to be road-mobile. That gives it immunity from vulnerability. The second thing is that it can reach targets that no aircraft can reach.

The Agni-III missile system has state-of-the-art inertial guidance, highly accurate sensors with high immunity from jamming. It has no communication with the ground once it takes off, so you cannot jam its electronics.

China had only one missile in the 2500-km category, the DF-21 and was now focused only on building intercontinental range missiles (ICBMs) of the DF-31 and DF-41 in the 6000- 10,000 km range.

Both stages of Agni-III are powered by solid propellants. It is 17 metres long, has a diameter of two metres and a launch weight of 50 tonnes. It can carry payloads weighing 1.5 tonnes.

The first test, from the same defence base on July 9, 2006, was unsuccessful. The second stage of the rocket had failed to separate from the missile quickly enough and the missile had fallen short of its target.

The DRDO-developed missile was tested again on April 12, 2007 and May 9, 2008, and both the tests were successful.

Agni-III, one of the Agni series missiles, has a length of 17 metres, a diameter of 2 metres and a launch weight of 50 tonnes.

Agni-III has been an important programme, primarily because the Agni-I and Agni-II systems were an extension of technologies we were using since the 1970s. They had virtually reached the limit of their capabilities. Agni-I has a 700-km range, which can be extended with minor modifications. Agni-II has a 2,000-km limit.

The DRDO began real work on Agni-III only in 2001. It was the first time that the DRDO had taken up fabrication of such large rocket motors - two metres in diameter, with about 30 tonnes of solid propellants in the first stage and nine tonnes in the second stage. It had flexible nozzle control, which no other country had used for the first stage, during the atmospheric phase of the flight.

The payload re-entry itself was a challenge because its velocity was five metres a second with a very steep re-entry lasting not more than 20 to 25 seconds, ambient temperatures going to 4,000°Celsius, skin temperatures reaching 2,500°Celsius and the deceleration going down anywhere between 30 g and 16 g. So, the whole environment was totally different from that of even Agni-II.

The successful Agni series missiles have given India anti-satellite capability, but the DRDO said it would not demonstrate it by hitting a real satellite.

Saraswat, asserted that India had the building blocks ready for anti-satellite capability.

"With the successful testing of Agni-III, we have the propulsion system which can be used to propel a kill vehicle in the orbit. We have the capability required to guide a kill vehicle towards the satellite," he said.

"We have the capability for interception of satellite. But we do not have to test because it is not our primary objective. There are repercussions of satellite interception like debris flying in the space.

"Today we can validate the anti-satellite technology on ground through simulation. There will be no direct hit of satellite. If the nation wants, we can have it ready," Saraswat added.

© India Strategic

http://indiastrategic.in/topstories478.htm

 

[sayareakd]

dude Agni V is a MIRV missile. Creating a MIRV missile is extremely difficult tasks. Only America and Russia have such missiles. If India successfully develops this missile and put it under inductions. Invading on India would become a dream to China.

France have them and so it UK, even some (only one) of the former USSR countries have those missile with MIRV.
Even China is suspected to have those.

 

[Yusuf]

I fail to understand the comparison between the DF31A and the A5. Both countries have different strategic requirements. China has to think of Russia and the US while india has to only of pakistan and china and the current crop of missiles take care of that. Also how long would it take to increase range when we have already modified the A3 to make it A5 for even longer ranges. The media makes it a pissing contest all the time and people get sucked into it.

 

[Chota]

Do you guys think the first test of Agni-V will be from a canister?

 

[gogbot]

Do you guys think the first test of Agni-V will be from a canister?

Yes, It was stated that the Agni-V will be canister missile from the start.

Making it much easier for transport.

Then previous Agni Missiles

 

[Chota]

^^

If it happens, it will be really impressive. I have my doubts though.

 

[LETHALFORCE]

^^

If it happens, it will be really impressive. I have my doubts though.

we have fired Shauriya successful from cannisters,no need to be doubtful.

 

[gogbot]

^^

If it happens, it will be really impressive. I have my doubts though.

we have fired Shauriya successful from cannisters,no need to be doubtful.

Canister systems were developed in India for the Brhamos Missile.

Since their induction then, There has been a need for more missiles making use of that Technology.

There is no need to be doubtful

http://news.rediff.com/report/2009/oct/12/what-makes-5000-km-range-agni-5-missile-deadlier.htm

What makes 5000 km range Agni-5 missile deadlier
October 12, 2009 08:44 IST

The Advanced Systems Laboratory (ASL) in Hyderabad, which develops India's strategic (long-range, nuclear-tipped) missiles, has dramatically increased the options for its forthcoming Agni-5 missile by making it highly road-mobile, or easily transportable by road.

That enables the Agni-5 to reach targets far beyond its stated 5,000-km range by quickly moving closer to the target. In a hypothetical war against, say, Sweden, an Agni-5 launcher, stationed near Bangalore, would be unable to strike Stockholm, 7,000 km away. But moving by road to Amritsar would bring Stockholm within range.

Similarly, moving the Agni-5 to northeast India would bring even Harbin, China's northernmost city, within striking range. From various places across India, the Agni-5 can reach every continent except North and South America.

The Agni-5 will be the first canisterised, road-mobile strategic missile in India's arsenal, similar to the Dongfeng-31A that created ripples during China's National Day Military Parade in Beijing on October 1. India's current long-range missile, the Agni-3, a non-canisterised missile, can only be moved with difficulty from one place to another.

In many other respects, the Agni-5, which is scheduled to make its first flight in early-2011, carries forward the Agni-3 pedigree. With composites used extensively to reduce weight, and a third stage added on (the Agni-3 was a two-stage missile), the Agni-5 can fly 1,500 km further than the 3,500-km Agni-3.

"The Agni-5 is specially tailored for road-mobility," explains Avinash Chander, Director, ASL. "With the canister having been successfully developed, all India's future land-based strategic missiles will be canisterised as well".

Made of maraging steel, a canister must provide a hermitically sealed atmosphere that preserves the missile for years. During firing, the canister must absorb enormous stresses when a thrust of 300to 400 tonnes is generated to eject the 50-tonne missile.

Canister technology was first developed in India for the Brahmos cruise missile. But it was the K-15 underwater-launched missile, developed here in Hyderabad for India's nuclear-powered submarine, INS Arihant, which fully overcame the technological hurdles in canisterising ballistic missiles.

Another major technological breakthrough that will beef up the Agni-5 is ASL's success in developing and testing MIRVs (multiple independently targetable re-entry vehicles). An MIRV, atop an Agni-5 missile, comprises three to 10 separate nuclear warheads. Each warhead can be assigned to a separate target, separated by hundreds of kilometres; alternatively, two or more warheads can be assigned to one target.

"We have made major progress on the MIRVs in the last two years," is all that Avinash Chander is willing to say on the subject.

Nevertheless, extensive testing still lies ahead for this highly complex technology. MIRVs will be deployed on the Agni-5 only after another 4-5 years.

While MIRV technology is similar to launching multiple satellites through a space rocket, a missile requires far greater accuracy. A satellite would be considered in correct orbit even it is a kilometre higher or lower than planned.

But each warhead in an MIRV must impact within 40 metres of its target. With such high accuracies, even small nuclear warheads are sufficient for the job.

Strategic planners consider MIRVs essential, given India's declared "no first use" nuclear policy. Even after an enemy has hit India with a full-fledged nuclear strike, destroying or incapacitating much of the strategic arsenal, a handful of surviving Indian missiles must be capable of retaliating with massive and unacceptable damage. Multiple warheads on a handful of Agni-5 missiles would constitute such a capability.

MIRVs also enable a single missile to overwhelm the enemy's missile defences. Tracking and shooting down multiple warheads are far more difficult than intercepting a single warhead.
Providing each warhead with the capability to maneuver, and dodge enemy interceptor missiles, increases survivability further. The MIRV warheads are also being given electronic packages for jamming enemy radars.

 

[Chota]

^^ I am not doubting if India has the technology or not. As you mentioned its already demonstrated with Shaurya..Its just that Agni-V is a much heavier projectile to be "blowed" out

So the first test may be to test if the entire missile per-se works as expected and then from second launch onwards may be cannister is used as a standard launch procedure

 

[sayareakd]

many of the system of A5 has been tested in A3, plus some of the system will be tested in Prithvi missile and finally it will be tested in A5.

 

[Vinod2070]

Can anyone post the dimensions, weights, payload, range etc. of A5 Vs. other global missiles?

 

[sayareakd]

first let if fly and them we can post the details requested by you, till such time it is mere speculation.