India successfully test fires 5,000-km range Agni-V missile

India today successfully test fired its longest-range intercontinental ballistic missile, the Agni-V, enhancing the country's strategic and deterrence capabilities.

The fourth test of the 5,000-km range Agni-V was carried out from the missile testing range in the Wheeler Island off the Odessa coast in the morning today.

The indigenously-developed surface-to-surface missile, Agni-V, is capable of reaching as far as Beijing in China, say reports.

The 17-metre long, two-meter wide Agni-V missile weighs around 50 tonnes, incorporates some new technologies in terms of navigation and guidance and is capable of carrying a nuclear warhead of more than one tone.

This is the first test of the Agni-V missile after India became a member of the Missile Technology Control Regime, a 35-nation group to check the spread of unmanned delivery systems for nuclear weapons. After a few more trials, it will soon join India's military arsenal.

President Prefab Mukherjee congratulated the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) for the successful test. ''Congratulations DRDO for successfully test firing Agni V. It will enhance our strategic and deterrence  capabilities. #PresidentMukherjee President of India ? @RashtrapatiBhvn,'' the President tweeted

The surface-to-surface missile is a fire-and-forget system that cannot be easily detected as it follows a ballistic trajectory.

The solid propellant driven missile was tested from a canister, which gives it all-weather and any terrain mobile launch capability.

The first missile of the series, Agni-I was developed under the Integrated Guided Missile Development Program and tested in 1989.

India already has in its arsenal the Agni I, II, III and IV missile systems and supersonic cruise missiles like Brahmos.

In the series, Agni-! has a 700-km range, Agni-II has a 2,000 km range, and Agni-II and Agni-IV have 2,500 km to more than 3,500 km range.

It is the fourth developmental and second canisterised trial of the nuclear capable missile.

The first test was conducted on 19 April 2012 and the second test was carried out on 15 September 2013 while the third test was conducted on 31 January 2015 from the same base.

It was found that the Agni-V required some tweaking of its internal battery and electronic configurations after its last test in January 2015. The final version has incorporated these changes

The other Agni missile variants are already inducted in the armed forces.