(FREE) UPSC Current Affairs 2024 PDF

(THE GIST OF PIB) Agni-Prime Missile

(APRIL-2024)

The new generation ballistic missile Agni-Prime was successfully flight-tested by the Strategic Forces Command (SFC) along with the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) from the Dr APJ Abdul Kalam Island off the coast of Odisha.

It is a nuclear-capable new-generation advanced variant of the Agni class of missiles. It is a two-stage canisterised missile with a maximum range of 1,000 to 2,000 km.
It is lighter than all the earlier Agni series of missiles. It weighs at least 50 per cent less than the Agni 3 missile and has new guidance and propulsion systems.
It can be transported by road and rail and stored for longer periods, significantly reducing the time required for preparation and launch. The missile uses a cold launch mechanism and can be fired in salvo mode.

These are launched directly into the upper layers of the earth’s atmosphere. They can travel outside the atmosphere, where the warhead detaches from the missile and falls towards a predetermined target.
They are rocket-propelled self-guided weapons systems which can carry conventional or nuclear munitions. They can be launched from aircraft, ships and submarines and land.