Syllabus: General Studies Paper 3

India carried out a successful training launch of the nuclear capable Intermediate Range Ballistic Missile (IRBM) Agni-3 from APJ Abdul Kalam Island, Odisha as part of routine user training launches conducted by the Strategic Forces Command.

About the Agni-3 Missile

• The 16-meter long missile, weighing more than 48 tonnes, has a range of over 3000 kilometers and is capable of carrying a payload of over 1.5 tonnes. 
• Flight trajectory was tracked by a number of radars, telemetry observation stations, electro-optic instruments and naval ships deployed at the sea.
• The two-stage solid propellent powered IRBM is under operational purview of the Strategic Forces Command, which is part of India’s Nuclear Command Authority and has been developed by the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO).
• The first known developmental trial of Agni-3 was conducted in July 2006 but could not yield the expected result. 
• It was subsequently successfully flight tested in April 2007. 
• The system has been successfully tested several times since then.
• The Agni-3 test comes over a month after India’s Strategic Strike Nuclear Submarine, INS Arihant, carried out a successful launch of a Submarine Launched Ballistic Missile (SLBM).

The launch is significant to prove crew competency and validate the SSBN programme, a key element of India’s nuclear deterrence capability. A robust, survivable and assured retaliatory capability is in keeping with India’s policy to have ‘Credible Minimum Deterrence’ that underpins its ‘No First Use’ commitment.”

Question: Discuss the evolution of Integrated Guided Missile Development Programme of India. (150 Words)