GAMECHANGER

 India Tests Agni-5 successfully

India has successfully test fired surface-to-surface ballistic missile Agni-5, which has high degree of accuracy and has capability of striking targets at ranges up to 5000 km, is India's Inter-Continental Ballistic Missile (ICBM) contender. It is tested for the first time by the user agency, the Strategic Forces Command, a joint tri-service command that is responsible for the country's nuclear weapons.

This missile has further strengthened India's deterrence capability and is in line with India's commitment to 'No First Use' and its policy to have 'credible minimum deterrence' but it comes at a time of persistently high tensions between India and China and after China tested a hypersonic glide vehicle in August. The Agni-5 project was aimed at enhancing India's nuclear deterrence China.

Agni missiles from one 1 to 5, are designed and developed by the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO). While Agni-1 offers 700 km range, version 2, 3 and 4 of 2000 km, 2500 km, and 3500 km respectively. The latest version of Agni is a canisterised missile, in that it can be launched from road and rail platforms. Some reports have suggested that the missile could reach up to 8000 km - in any case, even though the official range falls short of the ICBM classification threshold of 5500 km (Agni-6 currently under development, is expected to have a range of 8000 km).

Globally, the main concern in that once the technology is successfully established by one country, it would lead to a wider race for the capability and eventual proliferation. India is surrounded by it's potent threat rising across its borders and measuring the scenarios, it is evident that India needs to ramp up its security to counter its enemy.