New Delhi: India successfully test fired a surface-to-surface ballistic missile the Agni – 5 on Wednesday at APJ Abdul Kalam Island, off the coast of Odisha, at 7:50 pm. Agni – 5 can accurately strike targets up to 5,000 km away.

Agni-5, which broadly falls into the category of an Intercontinental Ballistic Missile or ICBM. The missile uses a three-stage solid fuelled engine and can strike targets with a very high degree of accuracy. The successful test of Agni – 5 is in line with India’s stated policy to have credible minimum deterrence that underpins the commitment to No First Use.

The first test of Agni – 5 was conducted in 2012.

DRDO designed and developed Agni-1 to 5 missiles. At present, apart from the Agni-5, other Agni missiles that India has in its armory are: Agni-1 with a 700-km range, Agni-2 with a 2,000-km range, Agni-3 and Agni-4 with 2,500 km to more than 3,500 km range.