Daily News Analysis ‘Agni-1 Ballistic Missile ’ : 23 May

Why in News:

• India has successfully test-launched its indigenous Short-Range Ballistic Missile, Agni-1, from the Integrated Test Range at Chandipur, Odisha, to validate its technical parameters and maintain high strategic readiness.

Agni-1 Ballistic Missile Facts:

• Classification & Genesis: Agni-1 is a land-based, single-stage, Short-Range Ballistic Missile (SRBM) developed by the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) under the historic Integrated Guided Missile Development Programme (IGMDP) initiated in 1983.
• Operational Purpose: Conceived immediately after the 1999 Kargil War to specifically bridge the critical tactical range gap between the short-range Prithvi-II (250 km) and the longer-range intermediate Agni-II (2,500 km) systems.
• Range & Payload Capacity: Operates with a robust strike range of 700 km to 1,200 km, capable of carrying a 1,000 kg conventional high-explosive unitary warhead or a strategic nuclear payload.
• Propulsion System: Driven entirely by a single-stage composite solid rocket motor propellant, modified structurally from the Indian Space Research Organisation’s (ISRO) early SLV-3 space launch vehicle technology.