Agni-IV Ballistic Missile:
India conducted a test of the nuclear capable Agni-IV ballistic missile, which has a strike range of 4,000 km, as part of a “night user trial in operational configuration” by the Strategic Forces Command (SFC).
- The two-stage Agni-IV surface-to-surface missile was flight-tested for its “entire range” from the Dr APJ Abdul Kalam Island, earlier known as Wheeler Island, off the Odisha coast, at about 7.30pm.
- The tri-Service SFC already has the Prithvi-II (350-km), Agni-I (700-km), Agni-II (2,000-km), Agni-III (3,000-km) and Agni-IV missile units, while the induction of the country’s first intercontinental ballistic missile Agni-V (over 5,000-km) is currently in an advanced stage.
- The road-mobile Agni-IV and Agni-V are primarily meant for deterrence against China, which can target any Indian city with its formidable inventory of long-range missiles.
- The Agni-V brings the northernmost part of China within its strike envelope.
- The shorter range Agni missiles, in turn, are designed for Pakistan
