India claims that it can put multiple warheads atop a single missile after its latest test of its Agni-V intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM), officially making it one of the world's top nuclear powers.
CNN reported that the successful test of multiple independently targetable reentry vehicle (MIRV) technology on the indigenously developed missile puts India in a club that includes the United States, Russia, China, France, and the United Kingdom.
Neighboring Pakistan also claimed to have MIRV technology, but defense experts say that the claim was unverified.
More Nukes, More Targets
Indian scientists conducted the test in a facility on Abdul Kalam Island in the Bay of Bengal, off India's northeast coast, the Defense Ministry said in a statement.
"Various Telemetry and radar stations tracked and monitored multiple re-entry vehicles," the statement said. "The Mission accomplished the designed parameters."
No details were publicly provided regarding the exact number of missiles and MIRV warheads.
Once released in space from the missile that carried it aloft, each warhead could be programmed to hit separate targets up to 1,500 kilometers apart, the Center for Arms Control and Non-Proliferation said.
The Center for Strategic and International Studies Missile Defense Project said that the Agni-V has a range of over 5,000 kilometers, putting both China and Pakistan well within range of the weapon as a deterrent.
Indian Leaders Commend ICBM Scientists
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi praised his country's scientists for the development, one of a series announced by his government months before a national election in which he was seeking a rare third consecutive term.
"[I am proud] of our DRDO [Defence Research and Development Organisation] scientists for Mission Divyastra, the first flight test of indigenously developed Agni-5 missile with Multiple Independently Targetable Re-entry Vehicle (MIRV) technology," he wrote on X, formerly Twitter.
Indian Defense Minister Rajnath Singh also congratulated the scientists and the team behind the test: "India is proud of them."
In addition, Home Minister Amit Shah called the successful test "a momentous day" for the nation and said that the technology would "further accelerate" Modi's vision of a "self-reliant" India.
