Agni-5 to be test-fired next month: DRDO Chief

NEW DELHI: India will soon enter the elite club of nations having the Inter-Continental Ballistic Missile ( ICBM) capability with the Agni-5 getting ready for its first test launch next month.

"The first flight of the Agni-V missile is likely to take place next month," DRDO Chief V K Saraswat said here today.

The agency is in the final stages of integration of the missile and its components taking place in a DRDO lab in Hyderabad and the equipment required to study the flight of the missile and its accuracy are being put in place.

Preparations are also in full swing at the test facility in Wheeler island and other labs which will participate in the launch.

Saraswat while talking to reporters earlier this month had said that all the development and industry partners participating in the programme will be present during the first test flight of the missile to witness the test launch.

DRDO plans to conduct more such tests of the missile over the next one year after studying and analysing the parameters achieved in each subsequent trial.

On the timeline fixed for fully developing the Agni-5, Saraswat had said that another one year of testing will be involved.

In November last year, DRDO had successfully test fired the 3,500 km range Agni-4 missile giving muscle to India's deterrent capability against the military adversaries.