The impending fourth test of Agni-V, capable of striking even the northernmost parts of China, is in itself significant. “This will be the final test of the three-stage Agni-V, which will be tested for its full range, before the Strategic Forces Command (SFC) begins its user trials,” the source said. The tri-Service SFC, established in 2003 to manage India’s nuclear arsenal, will conduct at least two tests before the missile is produced in adequate numbers for induction.
While Agni-V was tested in an “open configuration” in April 2012 and for the second time in September 2013 , the third test, in January 2015, saw it being fired from a hermetically sealed canister mounted on a Tatra launcher truck. The missile’s canister-launch version makes it even deadlier since it gives the armed forces requisite flexibility to swiftly transport and fire the 50-tonne missile from anywhere they want.
