India has achieved a significant milestone with the successful launch of the Intermediate Range Agni-Prime missile from a rail-based mobile launcher system. This event marks a vital advancement in India’s strategic capabilities, demonstrating the ability to deploy and launch ballistic missiles from the country’s extensive rail network, adding a crucial layer of mobility and survivability to its deterrent posture.
The Agni-Prime missile, belonging to the next generation of India’s Agni-series, is designed for ranges up to 2,000 km and incorporates several advanced technological features for enhanced performance. Notably, the missile utilises a canisterised launch mechanism, allowing for safe transport, storage, and quick launch preparation, thereby reducing overall response time and increasing operational flexibility.
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For the first time, India launched the Agni-Prime from a specially designed rail-based mobile launcher, a platform that provides cross-country mobility and rapid redeployment without prior notification or pre-authorisation. This rail-based system significantly reduces the missile’s visibility to adversaries, enabling launches from unpredictable locations across the vast Indian railway network, thus greatly complicating enemy targeting efforts.
The introduction of a rail-mobile missile launch system places India in a select group of nations with such advanced operational capabilities, further strengthening India’s deterrence by adding mobility, survivability, and second-strike potential to its missile arsenal. The successful demonstration signals not only technological prowess but also operational readiness and integration of indigenous innovations into the country’s strategic forces.
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh emphasised that these advances reflect India’s ongoing commitment to Aatmanirbhar Bharat, or self-reliance, in defence technology and system development. The Agni-Prime’s indigenous design and development by DRDO, in collaboration with Strategic Forces Command and the armed forces, underscores India’s growing defence manufacturing prowess and its ambition to be a global source of high-quality, advanced military equipment.
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Reflecting its growing defence footprint, India—in collaboration with Morocco—has inaugurated a Tata Advanced Systems Limited facility in Berrechid, Morocco, for production of the indigenously developed Wheeled Armoured Platform (WhAP) 8×8. This new facility represents strategic partnership expansion and further cements India’s status as a responsible international defence technology provider, fostering both self-reliance and global engagement.
The successful Agni-Prime launch from a rail-based mobile platform, coupled with new production facilities overseas, signals India’s significant progress towards achieving a resilient, flexible, and globally competitive defence infrastructure. The compounded advancements demonstrate the nation’s dedication to self-reliance, technological sophistication, and international strategic partnership.
Agencies
