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Agni-I () is a
short-range ballistic missile A short-range ballistic missile (SRBM) is a ballistic missile with a range of to . In past and potential regional conflicts, these missiles have been and would be used because of the short distances between some countries and their relative low c ...
that was developed by
DRDO The Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) is an agency under the Department of Defence Research and Development in the Ministry of Defence of the Government of India, charged with the military's research and development, headqu ...
of India in the
Integrated Guided Missile Development Program The Integrated Guided Missile Development Programme (IGMDP) was an Indian Ministry of Defence programme for the research and development of the comprehensive range of missiles. The programme was managed by the Defence Research and Development ...
. It is a single-stage missile that was developed after the
Kargil War The Kargil War, was fought between India and Pakistan from May to July 1999 in the Kargil district of Ladakh, then part of the Indian-administered state of Jammu and Kashmir (state), Jammu and Kashmir and along the Line of Control (LoC). In In ...
to fill the gap between the range of the Prithvi-II missile and the range of the Agni-II. It was first launched from a road mobile launcher at Integrated Test Range (ITR), Wheeler Island, on 25 January 2002. Less than 75 launchers are deployed.


History and development

Agni-I was first tested at the Interim Test Range in Chandipur at 7:17AM on 22 May 1989, and is capable of carrying a conventional payload of 1,000 kg (2,200 lb) or a
nuclear Nuclear may refer to: Physics Relating to the nucleus of the atom: *Nuclear engineering *Nuclear physics *Nuclear power *Nuclear reactor *Nuclear weapon *Nuclear medicine *Radiation therapy *Nuclear warfare Mathematics * Nuclear space *Nuclear ...
warhead. Agni missiles consist of one (short range) or two stages (intermediate range). These are rail and road mobile and powered by solid
propellant A propellant (or propellent) is a mass that is expelled or expanded in such a way as to create a thrust or another motive force in accordance with Newton's third law of motion, and "propel" a vehicle, projectile, or fluid payload. In vehicle ...
s. The Agni I has a range of 700–1,200 km. They are claimed to be a part of the " Minimum credible deterrence". Agni-I is a single stage,
solid fuel Solid fuel refers to various forms of solid material that can be burnt to release energy, providing heat and light through the process of combustion. Solid fuels can be contrasted with liquid fuels and gaseous fuels. Common examples of solid fu ...
, road and rail mobile,
Short-range ballistic missile A short-range ballistic missile (SRBM) is a ballistic missile with a range of to . In past and potential regional conflicts, these missiles have been and would be used because of the short distances between some countries and their relative low c ...
(SRBM). The need for the Agni-I was felt after the
Kargil war The Kargil War, was fought between India and Pakistan from May to July 1999 in the Kargil district of Ladakh, then part of the Indian-administered state of Jammu and Kashmir (state), Jammu and Kashmir and along the Line of Control (LoC). In In ...
with Pakistan. It took
DRDO The Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) is an agency under the Department of Defence Research and Development in the Ministry of Defence of the Government of India, charged with the military's research and development, headqu ...
15 months to develop the Agni-I after having completed Agni-II development. It is propelled by solid fuel. Maneuvering RV body-lift aerodynamics give it the ability to correct trajectory errors and reduce thermal stresses. The MRV has a velocity correction package to correct launch trajectory variances. Some Agni RV versions use a set of solid fueled thruster cartridges of predetermined impulse, allowing the onboard guidance controller to trim velocity, using discrete combination of impulse quanta along the desired spatial orientation. The 15 metre tall Agni-I missile, weighing about 12 tonnes, is capable of carrying both conventional as well as nuclear warheads of 1,000 kg.


Replacement

DRDO The Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) is an agency under the Department of Defence Research and Development in the Ministry of Defence of the Government of India, charged with the military's research and development, headqu ...
is now developing an upgraded two stage variant called Agni-1P by borrowing the newer technologies from Agni-IV and Agni-V platform to increase accuracy and reliability. On 28 June 2021, DRDO successfully test fired Agni-1P from
Abdul Kalam island Dr. Abdul Kalam Island, formerly known as Wheeler Island, is an island off the coast of Odisha, India, approximately east of the state capital Bhubaneswar. The island was originally named after English commandant Lieutenant Hugh Wheeler. On ...
. This is a two-stage solid fuel missile that can be stored in canister and transported through road and rail. It is a new class of missile in Agni Series launched by DRDO which is half the weight of Agni-III and carries newly developed guidance package and population system covering a distance of 1000–2000 km.


Operational history

Indian Army The Indian Army (IA) (ISO 15919, ISO: ) is the Land warfare, land-based branch and largest component of the Indian Armed Forces. The President of India is the Commander-in-Chief, Supreme Commander of the Indian Army, and its professional head ...
regularly conducts user trials of the missile mainly to train the user team to launch the missile. The tests are normally conducted by the Strategic Forces Command (SFC) with logistic support from
Defence Research and Development Organisation The Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) is an agency under the Department of Defence Research and Development in the Ministry of Defence of the Government of India, charged with the military's research and development, head ...
(DRDO). Such User trials were carried out multiple times since 2018, with the first one being on October 5, 2007, from Wheelers' Island and the latest one being on November 27, 2015. Another successful user trial was conducted on March 14, 2016, from launch pad-4 of the Integrated Test Range (ITR) at Abdul Kalam Island. Multiple successful user trials of the missile have been conducted on 22 November 2016 and 6 February 2018 by the Strategic Forces Command.


Operators

Agni-I is used by the 334 Missile Group at Secunderabad, under the Strategic Forces Command (SFC) of the
Indian Army The Indian Army (IA) (ISO 15919, ISO: ) is the Land warfare, land-based branch and largest component of the Indian Armed Forces. The President of India is the Commander-in-Chief, Supreme Commander of the Indian Army, and its professional head ...
,


See also

*
BrahMos The BrahMos (also designated as PJ-10)List of missiles Below is a list of missiles, sorted alphabetically into large categories and subcategories by name and purpose. Other missile lists Types of missiles: * Conventional guided missiles ** Air-to-air missile ** Air-to-surface missile ** Anti-radia ...
* Agni-P


References


External links


Bharat-Rakshak Agni strategic missile Section
{{Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) Ballistic missiles of India Intermediate-range ballistic missiles Nuclear missiles of India Military equipment introduced in the 2000s