DRDO MIRV Test: Second Agni-Series Demonstration from Odisha
Why in the news
India tested a more advanced Agni-series missile that carried several warheads aimed at different places. The trial counts as the second big MIRV success after 2024’s Mission Divyastra.
Key facts
- Conducted by DRDO from A.P.J. Abdul Kalam Island (earlier Wheeler Island), off Odisha.
- Technology: Multiple Independently Targeted Re-entry Vehicle (MIRV).
- Payloads were sent to separate, widely spread targets in the Indian Ocean Region.
- Ground and ship-based telemetry stations followed the flight from lift-off to the impact of every payload, confirming all objectives were met.
- India joins the US, Russia, China, France and the UK as holders of this strategic capability.
- Partners in the project: DRDO, the Indian Army and domestic industry, in line with Aatmanirbhar Bharat.
About MIRV
- One missile carries several warheads; each can be steered to a different target.
- After the missile reaches the edge of space, a post-boost vehicle (the “bus”) manoeuvres and releases warheads at different times and angles.
- It is a force multiplier: defenders need a separate interceptor for each warhead, which weakens missile defence.
Agni family
- Range runs from Agni-I (700-900 km) to Agni-V (over 5,000 km, intercontinental).
- All are solid-fuel, surface-to-surface ballistic missiles forming the backbone of India’s nuclear triad.
Exam angle
- Full form to learn: MIRV, Multiple Independently Targeted Re-entry Vehicle.
- Place to learn: A.P.J. Abdul Kalam Island, Odisha; earlier name Wheeler Island.
- Earlier MIRV test: Mission Divyastra, 2024. Developer of Agni missiles: DRDO.