Agni-5 missiles to become deadlier? Report claims new 'bunker-buster' variant under development

India's advanced intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) Agni-5 will soon have upgraded capabilities, including the ability to carry a  7,500kg bunker-buster warhead to eliminate enemy targets hidden or buried deep underground, if a media report is to be believed.

 

According to an India Today report, the missile, developed by the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) and carries a one-tonne nuclear warhead will have new variants, capable of carrying a heavy-duty warhead, designed to penetrate hardened targets or targets that are buried deep underground.

 

Bunker-buster bombs were in the news recently after the US deployed its  GBU-57A/B Massive Ordnance Penetrator (MOP) during Operation Midnight Hammer to target  Iran's nuclear facilities at Fordow, Natanz, and Isfahan.

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The India Today report claimed that two variants of Agni-5 are under development—one featuring an airburst warhead for the above-ground targets (detonating above targets to maximize destruction over large areas) and another capable of deep penetration (like the MOP deployed by the US against targets in Iran), designed to destroy targets that are buried deep under the surface.

 

However, the new variants, reportedly being developed by DRDO, may not have the range of the original Agni-5, which can reach 5,000 km. The new variants are said to have a range of 2,500km.

Defence