India’s 5,000-Km Range Agni-V, Capable Of Reaching All Major Chinese Cities, To Be Inducted Soon

India’s Agni-V nuclear-capable intercontinental ballistic missile, which is capable of reaching all major Chinese cities, will soon be inducted into the elite Strategic Forces Command (SFC), The Indian Express has reported.

According to the daily’s report, the first batch of Agni-V missiles, which has a range of over 5,000 kilometers, will be handed over to the SFC “soon”.

“It is a strategic asset which will act as a deterrent. We are at the fag end of the strategic project,” the report quoted an official as saying.

The missile, which is often referred to as ‘China Killer’ because of its long range, was successfully test-fired last time on 3 June 2018. India has conducted at least six tests of the missile, all of which have been successful. The few tests have been conducted from a canister on a road-mobile launcher.

By some accounts, the missile has a range of around 8,000 km. Chinese experts have accused India of ‘deliberately downplaying’ the range of the missile.

"The Agni-V actually has the potential to reach targets 8,000 km away, but the Indian government had deliberately downplayed the missile's capability in order to avoid causing concern to other countries," Du Wenlong, a researcher at China's PLA Academy of Military Sciences, had told Global Times in April 2012.

Apart from the Agni-V, India has Agni-I with a 700-km range, Agni-II with a 2,000-km range, Agni-III and Agni-IV with 2,500 km to more than 3,500 km range.

Also Read: Why The Agni-V Is A Game Changer For India