Agni Missile Programme

India’s Agni missiles trace back to a single 1989 test flight. Since then, the family has grown from a short-range demonstrator into an intercontinental-class deterrent. On 6 August 2026, its Agni-4 member flew again, from the same Odisha coast where it all began.

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Science & Technology · SciTech0119

Agni Missile Programme

From a 1989 Demonstrator to an Intercontinental Deterrent

July 1983

The Integrated Guided Missile Development Programme (IGMDP) is approved, budget ₹390 crore.

1989

India flight-tests the Agni technology demonstrator for the first time.

19 Apr 2012

Agni-V, India’s first intercontinental-range missile, is first tested.

6 Aug 2026

Agni-4 is test-fired from the Integrated Test Range, Chandipur, Odisha.

One Demonstrator, Five Missiles

A single 1989 test flight grew into a family spanning Agni-I’s 700 km range to Agni-V’s 5,000+ km, intercontinental-class reach.

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Timeline

• July 1983: The Integrated Guided Missile Development Programme (IGMDP) is approved, with a budget of ₹390 crore.
• 1989: India flight-tests the Agni technology demonstrator for the first time.
• 11 April 1999: Agni-II, a medium-range ballistic missile, is first test-fired.
• 25 January 2002: Agni-I, a shorter-range missile, has its first test.
• 12 April 2007: Agni-III has its first successful test, after an earlier 2006 attempt failed.
• 19 April 2012: Agni-V, India’s first intercontinental-range missile, is first tested.
• 11 March 2024: Mission Divyastra, Agni-5’s first flight test fitted with MIRV technology.
• 6 August 2026: Agni-4 is test-fired from the Integrated Test Range, Chandipur, Odisha.

Must Know

• The Agni missiles are India’s family of indigenous, nuclear-capable ballistic missiles, developed by the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO).
• The programme began under the Integrated Guided Missile Development Programme (IGMDP), approved in July 1983 with a ₹390 crore budget.
• Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam led IGMDP’s early development. The programme also produced the Prithvi, Akash, Trishul, and Nag missiles.
• The Agni technology demonstrator first flew in 1989, laying the groundwork for the later, numbered Agni missiles.
• Agni-4 is an intermediate-range ballistic missile (IRBM), with a range of up to 4,000 km. It first flew in 2010.
• On 6 August 2026, India test-fired Agni-4 from the Integrated Test Range (ITR), Chandipur, Odisha, under the Strategic Forces Command (SFC).

Good to Know

• Agni-I is a short-range ballistic missile, with a range of about 700 km. Its first test came on 25 January 2002.
• Agni-II is a medium-range ballistic missile, with a range of up to 3,000 km. India first test-fired it on 11 April 1999.
• Agni-III’s first test, in July 2006, failed. Its first successful test came on 12 April 2007, travelling about 3,500 km.
• Agni-V is India’s first intercontinental-range missile, first tested on 19 April 2012. It travelled over 5,000 km, reaching a maximum altitude of 600 km.
• The Strategic Forces Command (SFC) manages India’s strategic, nuclear-capable missile assets. It is a key part of the country’s nuclear command structure.
• Agni-4 has a road-mobile launch configuration. This makes it harder for an adversary to locate or target its launch assets.

Test Yourself

Please wait…

1. The Agni missile family originated under which programme?

The Integrated Guided Missile Development Programme (IGMDP)

The Pokhran Nuclear Testing Programme

The Indian National Satellite (INSAT) Programme

The Simputer Development Programme

 Loading…

 

Great to Know

• The 6 August 2026 Agni-4 launch was reportedly its tenth test overall. The Strategic Forces Command alone has conducted six of these ten tests.
• Agni-5 gained Multiple Independently Targeted Re-entry Vehicle (MIRV) technology in 2024. This lets a single missile deliver several warheads to separate targets.
• Mission Divyastra, on 11 March 2024, was Agni-5’s first flight test fitted with this MIRV technology.
• Defence Minister Rajnath Singh publicly congratulated the SFC and DRDO after the August 2026 Agni-4 test, calling it a “textbook mission launch.”
• India’s missile-testing infrastructure is concentrated in Odisha, chiefly at the Integrated Test Range, Chandipur, and at Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam Island.
• Agni-V is a solid-fuelled intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM), not a cruise missile — it is rocket-powered only during its initial boost phase, then follows an unpowered, arching ballistic trajectory. BrahMos, by contrast, is a supersonic cruise missile — it is jet-propelled and flies under continuous power for its entire flight, at a much shorter range than Agni-V.

Previous Year Question

• UPSC 2023: Both statements are false. Statement 1 has propulsion reversed — cruise missiles are jet-propelled continuously, while ballistic missiles are rocket-powered only in their initial phase. Statement 2 also reverses the facts — Agni-V is a solid-fuelled ICBM, and BrahMos is a supersonic cruise missile, not the other way round. See UPSC CSP 2023 GS Paper I, Q58.

Current Affairs

• 6 August 2026: India test-fired the Agni-4 ballistic missile from the Integrated Test Range, Chandipur, Odisha, under the Strategic Forces Command. The trial validated the missile’s operational and technical parameters. (Source: India TV News)