India successfully carried out the night trials of the Agni-V nuclear-capable ballistic missile which can hit targets beyond 5,000 kms. The test was carried out to validate new technologies and equipment on the missile which is now lighter than before. The missile developed by DRDO was launched from APJ Abdul Kalam Island, Odisha with a dummy warhead. The Agni-V has the capability to reach the northernmost parts of China.

Agni-V is a fire-and-forget missile, which cannot be stopped without an interceptor missile. It is a three-stage solid fuelled missile system capable of delivering 1.5-ton nuclear warhead. Agni-V is the fifth in a series of medium and long-range nuclear-capable ballistic missiles developed by India. It is an ingeniously built advanced surface-to-surface ballistic missile developed under the Integrated Guided Missile Development Programme (IGMDP). The program has five missiles P-A-T-N-A, Prithvi, Agni, Trishul, Nag, and Akash.

India’s Defense Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) began developing the Agni-V in 2008. The missile was first tested in 2012, with subsequent tests being conducted in 2013, 2015, 2016, 2018 and 2021. With a launch mass of around 50 tonnes (49 long tons; 55 short tons) and a development cost of over ₹2,500 crore, Agni-V incorporated advanced technologies involving ring laser gyroscope and accelerometer for navigation and guidance.

Until recently, the longest range missile India had was Agni-III, with a range of 3000–3500 km.