AGNI-I, 1989 - BALLISTIC MUSCLE

In 1989, the launch of its first intermediate-range ballistic missile, Agni, elevated India into an elite club. Agni-l laid the foundation of the country's emergence as a regional superpower

- BY PRADIP R. SAGAR

The early morning calm at the Interim Test Range at Chandipur, Odisha, was torn apart as a 15-metre-long missile was hurled upward by a mobile launcher, then drilled its way through the pale blue sky amidst a bluster of fire and smoke. It was May 22, 1989, the start of the journey of India's first intermediate-range ballistic missile (IRBM), Agni-I. Initiated in 1983 and developed under the Integrated Guided Missile Development Programme (IGMDP) under A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, Agni-I was the culmination of years of technological innovation and a pivotal moment in the evolution of India's strategic defence. It conferred prestige too—India was now part of a select club of nations capable of developing IRBMs. Agni-I was originally designed as a two-stage missile and later adapted as a single-stage ballistic missile, combining technologies from the Prithvi short-range ballistic missile and advanced solids fuel systems from the SLV-3 space launch system. It has a range of 700–1,200 km, and can carry a payload of 1,000 kg, including nuclear warheads. It was operationally deployed