Desk Correspondent , New Delhi - India successfully conducted the maiden flight test of the indigenously developed Agni-5 missile equipped with Multiple Independently Targetable Re-entry Vehicle (MIRV) technology on Monday. Dubbed "Mission Divyastra," the test was carried out from Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam Island off the coast of Odisha. This breakthrough places India among a select group of nations—including the US, Russia, China, France, and the UK—possessing the sophisticated capability to deliver multiple nuclear warheads to different targets using a single long-range missile.

The Agni-5 is the crown jewel of India’s defense arsenal, boasting a strike range exceeding 5,000 kilometers, which allows it to reach the northernmost parts of China and nearly all of Asia and Europe. The integration of MIRV technology ensures that a single missile can carry several re-entry vehicles, each programmed to hit a distinct location. This advancement significantly enhances India’s strategic deterrence by making the missile harder to intercept through traditional ballistic missile defense systems, as the warheads split and descend at varying trajectories.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Defense Minister Rajnath Singh lauded the scientists of the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) for the successful mission. This development marks a shift in regional power dynamics, reinforcing India’s "No First Use" nuclear policy with a more robust and credible second-strike capability. The successful integration of indigenous sensors and high-accuracy navigation systems in the Agni-5 underscores the nation’s growing self-reliance in high-end military technology and strategic defense.