The Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), on Saturday, announced that the flight-trial of an advanced Agni missile with Multiple Independently Targeted Re-Entry Vehicle (MIRV) system was carried out from Dr APJ Abdul Kalam Island, off the coast of Odisha, on Friday.
The missile was flight-tested with multiple payloads, aimed at different targets spatially distributed over a vast geographical area in the Indian Ocean Region.
The MIRV capability enables one missile to carry and release several warheads, each aimed at a separate target. Once the missile completes its primary flight phase and its propulsion stages cut off, the individual warheads can detach and travel along their own designated trajectories.
With this successful trial of the missile, developed by DRDO laboratories with the support of industries across the country, India once again showcased the capability to target multiple strategic targets using a single missile system.
Flight data confirmed that all mission objectives were met during the trial.
"The telemetry and tracking was carried out by multiple ground and ship-based stations. These systems tracked the entire missile trajectory from lift-off till the impact of all payloads," the defence ministry said in a statement.
Hailing the achievement, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said this will add an incredible capability to the country's defence preparedness against the growing threat perceptions.
Singh praised DRDO, the Indian Army, and Industry on the successful flight-test.
The trial was witnessed by senior scientists of DRDO and the Indian Army personnel.
