India Achieves Milestone in Nuclear Technology with Multi-Warhead ICBM Capability

India announced on Monday that it has achieved the capability to place multiple warheads on a single intercontinental ballistic missile, joining the ranks of the world's leading nuclear powers.

This milestone was reached through a successful test of multiple independently targetable reentry vehicle (MIRV) technology on the Agni-V ICBM, which was developed within India. As a result, India now stands alongside countries like the United States, Russia, China, France, and the United Kingdom in this advanced technology.

Pakistan has also claimed to possess MIRV technology, but experts have not verified this claim.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi commended the country’s scientists for their achievement, which was one of several announced by his government leading up to a national election. Modi is aiming for a third consecutive term as prime minister.

Modi expressed his pride in the DRDO scientists for successfully conducting Mission Divyastra, which marked the first flight test of the Agni-5 missile equipped with Multiple Independently Targetable Re-entry Vehicle (MIRV) technology on Monday.

According to a statement from the Defense Ministry, Indian scientists carried out the test at a facility located on Abdul Kalam Island in the Bay of Bengal, off the northeast coast of India.

Several telemetry and radar stations kept track of multiple re-entry vehicles during the mission. The statement confirmed that the mission successfully met all planned parameters. India did not disclose the exact number of re-entry vehicles released during the Agni-V test, however, it was noted that MIRVed missiles have the capability to carry numerous MIRV warheads.

Indian Defense Minister Rajnath Singh extended his congratulations to the scientists and team involved in the test. He expressed India's pride in their accomplishment in a message posted on X.

Home Minister Amit Shah described it as a significant day for our country, stating that the technology will help advance Modi's vision of a self-reliant India.

According to the Center for Arms Control and Non-proliferation, each warhead can be programmed to target separate locations up to 1,500 kilometers apart after being released in space from the missile-carrying rocket.

The Agni-V missile, as reported by the Center for Strategic and International Studies Missile Defense Project, has a range of over 5,000 kilometers (3,100 miles). This means that countries like China and Pakistan, who are considered rivals of India, are well within the missile's reach.

The technology behind the Agni-V missile is decades old.

MIRV technology has been around for a while. The United States started using it in 1970 with the Minuteman III ICBM, as stated by the National Museum of the US Air Force.

Originally, the Minuteman III was built to hold three warheads. However, the US missiles currently only carry one warhead in order to adhere to arms control agreements with Russia.

MIRVed missiles pose a challenge for ballistic missile defenses as interceptor missiles must deal with multiple warheads heading to different targets hundreds of miles away.

Experts also view them as "destabilizing" weapons because they offer attractive first-strike opportunities.

The Union of Concerned Scientists explains that having MIRVed missiles creates a situation where countries feel pressured to use them quickly, or risk losing them in a crisis. This means there is an incentive to launch a first strike attack to destroy an opponent's MIRVed missiles, which would severely limit their ability to strike back.

India's recent announcement of their MIRV capability coincides with China's own efforts to expand their nuclear forces in a similar manner.

The US Defense Department’s report to Congress in 2023 highlighted China's efforts to enhance its nuclear-capable missile forces by developing new ICBMs. This development necessitates an increase in nuclear warhead production, partly due to the incorporation of multiple independently targetable reentry vehicle (MIRV) capabilities.

In the Himalayas, China and India have a disputed border where deadly clashes have taken place, with the most recent incident occurring in 2020.

Editor's P/S:

India'