India on Monday carried out maiden flight test of the indigenously developed Agni-5 missile with the Multiple Independently Targetable Reentry Vehicle (MIRV) technology which allows the weapon system to tackle multiple nuclear warheads, strengthening the country’s strategic deterrence capability.
The missile launch carried out under Mission Divyastra (divine weapon), made India's entry into the elite list of the countries that have the capability to deploy MIRV missile systems, including the United States, the United Kingdom, France, Russia and China.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi and defence minister Rajnath Singh congratulated the scientists of the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) for the successful test.
"Proud of our DRDO scientists for Mission Divyastra, the first flight test of indigenously developed Agni-5 missile with Multiple Independently Targetable Re-entry Vehicle (MIRV) technology," PM Modi said on 'X'.
What is MIRV technology?
The test flight of Agni-5, marked the first time that the MIRV technology was tested, which aims to deploy multiple warheads at different locations in a single launch. The Agni-5 weapon system is equipped with indigenous avionics systems and high-accuracy sensor packages, which ensured that the re-entry vehicles reached the target points within the desired accuracy.
Multiple Independently-targetable Reentry Vehicles (MIRVs) were originally developed in the early 1960s to allow a single missile to carry multiple nuclear warheads, each capable of striking different targets independently, unlike traditional missiles, according to The Centre for Arms Control and Non-Proliferation.
{{/usCountry}}Multiple Independently-targetable Reentry Vehicles (MIRVs) were originally developed in the early 1960s to allow a single missile to carry multiple nuclear warheads, each capable of striking different targets independently, unlike traditional missiles, according to The Centre for Arms Control and Non-Proliferation.
{{/usCountry}}The inception of MIRV technology was done by the United States with deploying a MIRVed Intercontinental Ballistic Missile (ICBM) in 1970 and a MIRVed Submarine-Launched Ballistic Missile (SLBM) in 1971.
The United States, the United Kingdom, France, Russia, China, and India are among the nations that possess the MIRV technology. Pakistan is also on the path to developing MIRV capabilities, In January 2017, it reportedly tested a MIRVed missile, the Ababeel.
Although MIRVs were not initially made to defeat ballistic missile defences, they are much more difficult to defend against than traditional missiles.
However, deploying MIRV technology also poses complex challenges, including miniaturisation of warheads, development of advanced guidance systems, and ensuring the reliability of individual re-entry vehicles, as per the report by TOI.