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    OPINION                                                                   MAY 22, 2026     |  The Indian Eye 10

             The Meaning and Significance

                   of India Testing Agni-5 with

                                          MIRV Capability

                      The successful integration of MIRV technology into the Agni-5 is a major

                       achievement of decades of efforts under India’s Agni missile programme

            DR AJAY LELE

               ndia’s  Defence  Research  and
               Development      Organisation
            I(DRDO) on 8 May 2026 success-
            fully tested the next-generation Inter-
            continental Ballistic Missile (ICBM).
            This  is  a  major  achievement  by
            DRDO that coincided with the first
            anniversary  of  Operation  Sindoor,
            which was a landmark tri-service mil-
            itary operation launched by India in
            May 2025 in response to the dastardly
            terror attack in Jammu & Kashmir’s
            Pahalgam on 22 April 2025.          Source: IDSA
                India  had  issued  a  NOTAM
            (Notice to Airmen) for a long-range
            missile test in the Bay of Bengal be-
            tween 6 May and 9 May 2026. Such   capability to strike multiple strategic   countries such as the United States,   India  entered  the  long-range
            notices are typically issued ahead of   targets with a single missile.  the  United  Kingdom,  France,  Chi-  strategic missile domain with the suc-
            missile  launches  or  major  military   Earlier  in  May  2024,  DRDO   na  and  Russia  possess  operational   cessful test of the Agni-5 by DRDO
            exercises. With this timing coinciding   conducted a successful Agni-5 MIRV   MIRV capabilities.      on 19 April 2012. ICMB Agni-5 has a
            with the first anniversary of Opera-  test under Mission Divyastra, mark-                             range of over 5,000 km and can carry
            tion Sindoor, many analysts believed   ing a major leap in India’s strategic   Pakistan claims that its me-  nuclear payloads. India demonstrat-
            that India could be preparing to test   deterrence  capability  and  demon-                           ed its nuclear weapons capability in
            the  Agni-6  missile.  Also,  recently,   strating its ability to deploy multiple  dium-range ballistic missile,   1974  with  Pokhran-I  (Smiling  Bud-
            DRDO chief Samir V Kamat stated   independently  targetable  warheads   Ababeel, is equipped with MIRV   dha). It further strengthened its stra-
            that DRDO is fully prepared to test a   from  a  single  missile.  The  recent                        tegic  posture  in  1998  (Pokhran-II)
            missile with a range exceeding 10,000   test was the second such test about   technology. According to re-  by conducting a series of five nuclear
            km and could undertake this mission   MIRV. It looks like, with two success-  ports, the missile has a range   tests.  However,  possessing  nuclear
            at  any  time,  subject  to  government   ful tests, DRDO could be operation-                         weapons alone is only the first step
            approval. Naturally, this led many to   alising this system in the near future.   of around 2,200 km and is be-  towards becoming a nuclear-weapon
            believe  that  India  was  preparing  to   It is not known whether they plan to  lieved to be capable of carrying   state. Credibility of a state to become
            launch an Agni-6.                 conduct a few more such tests before   multiple warheads. They could   a nuclear-weapon state depends on
                Ultimately,  on  8  May  2026,   handing over the system to Strategic                             the  ability  to  miniaturise  warheads,
            DRDO  successfully  flight-tested  an   Forces for induction.       have possibly tested a MIRV-ca-   develop survivable delivery systems,
            advanced Agni missile equipped with   MIRV  technology  enables  a   pable system in 2017. Howev-     and ensure reliable second-strike ca-
            a  MIRV  (Multiple  Independently   single  ballistic  missile  to  carry  and                        pability.
            Targetable  Re-entry  Vehicle)  sys-  deliver  multiple  warheads,  each  ca-  er, these claims remain under   The  weaponisation  of  nuclear
            tem from Dr APJ Abdul Kalam Is-   pable  of  striking  different  targets   scrutiny, as independent verifi-  technology  is  a  highly  complex  en-
            land.  The  missile  carried  multiple   independently.  Developed  during                            gineering process involving warhead
            payloads  targeting  different  targets   the Cold War, MIRV technology was   cation is limited, and some an-  design,  yield  optimisation,  fissile
            across the Indian Ocean region, with   first  operationally  deployed  by  the   alysts have questioned the suc-  material  processing,  safety  mecha-
            tracking conducted via ground- and   United States through the LGM-30   cess and maturity of Pakistan’s   nisms, and integration with delivery
            ship-based systems. Flight data con-  Minuteman III, fundamentally trans-                             platforms.  For  ease  of  operations
            firmed  that  all  mission  objectives   forming strategic missile warfare by  MIRV testing programme.  across  multiple  delivery  systems,
            were  achieved,  reaffirming  India’s   increasing  strike  capability.  Today,                              Continued on next page... >>

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