India’s ICBM Agni-V set for final tests

India is getting ready to test-fire its Agni-V intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) in its final operational configuration, which would place the country firmly in the ICBM club.

Agni-V, on its fourth and final test, will be fired from its canister on a launcher truck from Wheeler Island off Odisha coast, towards December-end or early January, defence sources said.

With a range of 5,000 km, Agni-V can reach as far as northern parts of China, and can be equipped with nuclear warheads.

"There were some minor technical snags in Agni-V, which required tweaking of its internal battery and electronic configurations after its last test in January 2015," reports earlier quoted Defence Research and Development Organization (DRDO) chief S Christopher as saying.

Cristopher had said that the missile would be ready for final tests by the end of the year.

"There were some minor technical snags in Agni-V, which required tweaking of its internal battery and electronic configurations after its last test in January 2015," The Times of India quoted a DRDO source as saying.

"This will be the final test of the three-stage Agni-V, which will be tested for its full range, before the Strategic Forces Command (SFC) begins its user trials," the source said.

The tri-service SFC will conduct yet another test before DRDO starts serial production of the missile.

Once the Agni-V is inducted, India will join the exclusive club of major powers with missiles that have range of over 5,000-5,500 km.

The earlier launches, April 2012 and September 2013, of the missile were in "open configuration," but the January 2015 test was from a hermetically sealed canister mounted on a Tatra launcher truck, which makes it deadlier since the missile is now mobile and can be launched from anywhere.

A canister launch means that a gas generator inside the canister ejects the missile up to a height of 30 metres, after which a motor is ignited to fire the missile further.

India is a member of the 34-nation Missile Technology Control Regime ( MTCR), but its bid to join the 48-country Nuclear Suppliers Group is being thwarted by China.