India has test fired its nuclear-capable strategic ballistic missile Agni-IV, capable of hitting a target at a distance of 4,000 kilometres, from a test range off the Odisha coast as part of a user trial by the armed forces.

Agni-IV is the fourth in the Agni series of missiles which was earlier known as Agni II prime. It has been developed by India’s DRDO and displayed a number of new technologies and significant improvement in Indian missile technology. The missile is light-weight and has two stages of solid propulsion and a payload with re-entry heat shield.

“The sophisticated surface-to-surface missile is equipped with modern and compact avionics to provide high level of reliability” sources in Defence Research and Development Organisation said.

This was the fifth trial of Agni-IV missile. The last trial conducted by SFC of the army on December 2, 2014 was successful.

George Allison
George Allison
George has a degree in Cyber Security from Glasgow Caledonian University and has a keen interest in naval and cyber security matters and has appeared on national radio and television to discuss current events. George is on Twitter at @geoallison
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47 COMMENTS

      • Until last year, when it was overtaken by Ethiopia, India was the biggest recipient of bilateral aid from the UK, receiving an average of £227m a year in direct financial support over the past three years.

        You may have a larger economy and more people but you’re still accepting our aid and can afford nuclear weapons and a space program but your government can’t feed its own people.

        I still disagree with stopping providing India aid and I think that as long as you need it, it should be there but all the same I thought I’d let you know.

    • On the contrary, spending in high-tech sectors of an economy are usually more beneficial in the long term. The fact of the matter is, even the Agni missile programme mentioned in this article has become a net-gain for India, allowing it to decrease reliance on external support and actually better support its economy. Indias contribution to Indian charities massively outstripped what the UK was donating before we stopped donating.

      • I usually agree with your comments, but I think that this one deserves a little push-back. India became independent in 1948. That is over half a century ago. Since then India has had a lot of help from the UK, US and USSR. In fact, the Indians became quite expert in playing them off against one another.
        So what does “long term” mean? If “long term” is going to be the standard excuse for all defence spending in countries with terrible porblems of poverty, the surely all of them can use the same excuse. Doesn’t this mean that Kim Jong Un is right to develop missiles and nuclear weapons because it wil benefit his country “in the long run”?
        India’s defence spending as a percentage of GDP is higher than the NATO average, but India has problems of poverty that NATO members just don’t have. There is a real question of priorities here, and we can’t magic it away with phrases like “long term”. India’s long term seems very long indeed.

  8. first you people better remember india is not britain.you people think your small aid runs this country.your aid is nothing to us.we have money by our strong economy.you people talk like kids.you give that money because your country want to sell your fighter typhoon to us for big money.you people watch your debts and economy before talk about my country.

  9. you think your country is super power.you always hide beside usa in any problems and you people talk about my country.you people want to talk about any country you better know about that country and talk.

  10. They already have missiles already with estimated 120 warheads probably aimed at Pakistan and this could be provacation at Pakistan who may updates it missiles and increase no and power of its warheads.

  13. It’s senisible for any country to want the best defence it can afford. Otherwise it may end up being an exploited colony for hundreds of years

  14. India has the right to defend itself. It does not take uk aid and indeed asked the British government to stop sending and I quote “peanuts” as it was not needed and was more of a PR exercise to make the uncaring British conservative government look good

    • If i were indian id be pretty pissed too, open sewage and contaminated water sources need dealing with before missile systems. I was watching a doc about it last night, claimed there were more temples than toilets.

    • On the contrary, spending in high-tech sectors of an economy are usually more beneficial in the long term. The fact of the matter is, even the Agni missile programme mentioned in this article has become a net-gain for India, allowing it to decrease reliance on external support and actually better support its economy. Indias contribution to Indian charities massively outstripped what the UK was donating before we stopped donating.

    • Fair enough, id still think investing that in domestic infastructure would be more effective in the long run. Fyi im not having a pop at aid or that, i get the aid goes straight to where its needed. Just doesnt seem enough.

    • When you have one inherently explosive neighbor who hates you to the core and wants to see you die someway or the other, an another one who doesn’t like your economic growth and wants to control and monopolize the sea routes over the ocean bearing your name, what do you think we should do? Do the budget cuts (which itself is pathetic when you take the defense budget against the country’s GDP (just 2.4%) and preach peace?

      And how much difference can that 2.4% do to the nation’s infrastructural and social growth? After considering the risk of leaving a land mass of 3.3 million square kilometer and 1.3 billion people vulnerable to two nuclear powers and a gazillion terrorists organization who wants to fly that black flag in New Delhi!!!

  16. Thanks UK Defence Journal for clarifying on Indian Nuclear Missile program. And no the Agni missiles aren’t built with UK or any foreign aid. These are the dumbest comments I read whole day. None of these people who talk of poverty or aid will come to fight for us in a war. It was David Cameron who was pitching the Typhoon to us for years that time why any of these guys didn’t talk of aid. Or was he giving the fighters in aid. The contract eventually went to France and Rafale fighter was selected.

  17. I was working in India (3 years) when Gordon Brown visited and announced a new £800 million aid package for a 3 year women’s education project in Uttra Pardesh. ( Above the existing £3.5 billion) Exactly the day after the Indian government announced that on the basis of it’s growing status a Space Defence Center was to be built. Cost £800 million. Make no mistake, India would love to see Britain on it’s knees and we no longer have the moral courage or unity to stand up for our disappearing values or self preservation.

  20. India, like the UK, need to renew our Nuclear weapons systems to ensure no other country will use theirs against us. A nuclear free word would be great but unless it happens multilaterally, they’re a necessary evil.

  22. dear admin, its not a new ballistic missile, agni 4 is a IRBM already in service,
    it was an user trial,
    .
    we have agni 5 ICBM in service too, 6000km -8000km.
    .
    new are the Slbms k15 and k4 .

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