India’s Strategic Forces Command (SFC), which handles missiles with nuclear warheads, fired Dhanush and Prithvi-II missiles on March 11, 2011 and establishing the readiness of India’s nuclear deterrence systems. Both Dhanush and Prithvi-II are surface-to-surface missiles that can carry nuclear warheads. They are products of the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO).
There are Army, Navy and Air Force versions of Prithvi, which is a single-stage missile that uses liquid propellants. Both Dhanush, the Naval version and Prithvi-II can carry nuclear warheads weighing 500 kg each. The stabilisation platforms of Dhanush-based ships enable its launching even during rough sea.
Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) successfully tested a ballistic missile interception from its missile range on March 7th 2011.
India's Ballistic Missile Defence (BMD) Interceptor missile was fired from Wheeler Island, which successfully intercepted an incoming hostile missile fired five minutes earlier. The 'hostile' missile was a specially modified Prithvi missile, fired from the Launch Complex III of the Integrated Test Range at Chandipur-on-sea in Balasore district, about 70km away from Wheeler Island across the sea.
The incoming ''enemy'' ballistic missile was intercepted at an altitude of 16 km and was destroyed through ''a direct kill”. The interceptor had a specially designed 'directional warhead'.
India's remote sensing satellites face threat from space debris created by China's anti-satellite test in 2007. India is strongly opposed to any attempt to place weapons in space or conducting any unconventional weapons tests in space as it would pose a perennial threat to all space systems regardless of their use for civilian or military purposes."
India's concerns regarding China are behind the revival of ballistic missile defence (BMD) discussions between India and the US. A possible acquisition of the Arrow from Israel or Patriot 3 from the US is also part of India's missile defence programme.
The mighty Chinese dragon is finally growing nervous at the growing reach of the Indian missile programme. According to agency reports from Beijing, the leading official Chinese newspaper People’s Daily has claimed that the Agni-5 missile — India’s latest nuclear-capable missile being developed by the DRDO’s Hyderabad-based Advanced Systems Laboratories — can even target China’s northern-most city of Harbin.
“India’s Advanced Systems Laboratory (ASL) has made its forthcoming Agni-5 missile highly road-mobile, or easily transportable by road, which would bring Harbin, China’s northernmost city within striking range if the Agni-5 is moved to north-east India,” agency reports quoted the People’s Daily as stating. Harbin is the capital of China’s Heilongjiang Province. The paper, the mouthpiece of the ruling Communist Party, noted that the Agni-5 which has a range of 5,000 km is similar to the Dongfeng-31A showcased during China’s National Day military parade on October 1 in Beijing. India is going to test-fire the missile in early 2011, the Chinese report claimed. Officials of the DRDO had indicated earlier that the designing of the Agni-5 missile — that will have an estimated range of 5,000 to 6,000 km — could be completed by the end of 2010 following which the missile could be tested as early as 2011.
“The development of the Agni-5 missile programme is on schedule,” defense sources said on Friday, without elaborating.
The development of the Agni-5 missile is the next step for India’s missile programme after the Agni-3 missile which has a range of 3,500 kms. The Agni-3 missile is already currently undergoing trials and is the first missile that can strike large parts of China. The Agni-5 missile, on the other hand, is expected to bring the whole of China under its range which is why the Chinese are growing increasingly nervous. China, which has missiles that can reach every part of India, has an advanced missile programme and has demonstrated the ability to knock out even satellites in space. While the Agni-3 is a two-stage ballistic missile, the Agni-5 missile will be designed to be a three-stage ballistic missile (for greater reach) capable of carrying multiple nuclear warheads. The Agni-V missile will be launched from canisters and can be moved quickly by road so that it can be launched from venues that are closer to the target.
