DRDO is building a hypersonic bunker buster that can strike 3,000 km deep into Pakistan or China and destroy underground targets: Read what India has that even Israel doesn’t

India is quietly preparing a new, game-changing weapon that could tilt the strategic equation in South Asia decisively in its favour. The Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) is developing a lethal bunker-buster variant of the Agni-V missile—a weapon that could obliterate underground enemy facilities deep beneath mountains, concrete bunkers, and fortified command centres.

This isn’t just an incremental upgrade to India’s existing missile capabilities. The new Agni-V is designed to pierce through 80 to 100 meters of reinforced concrete or rock, carrying a colossal warhead weighing between 7,500 to 8,000 kilograms. Such deep penetration capability makes it one of the most powerful non-nuclear conventional weapons under development globally.

What sets this missile apart is not just its raw destructive power, but its ability to travel at hypersonic speeds, estimated between Mach 8 and Mach 20—that’s nearly 10,000 to 24,500 km per hour. At such speeds, enemy air defence systems become virtually useless. By the time detection happens, it’s already too late.

Targeting enemy nuclear nerve centres

India’s primary adversaries—Pakistan and China—have invested heavily in underground military infrastructure. From hidden nuclear weapon sites to deeply buried command-and-control bunkers, these facilities are designed to survive conventional air strikes.

For Pakistan, critical sites such as the Kahuta nuclear facility, Kirana Hills complex, Noor Khan Airbase, and Masroor Airbase represent the backbone of its nuclear and missile programs. Similarly, China has developed numerous hardened missile silos and military bunkers along the Tibetan plateau and in its hinterland.

The Agni-V Bunker Buster is being specifically designed to neutralise such threats. With its deep-penetration capabilities and heavy payload, this missile gives India the ability to disable an enemy’s nuclear infrastructure in a matter of minutes—without needing nuclear warheads.

Why a bunker buster is essential for India?

The South Asian security environment remains volatile, with both Pakistan and China posing persistent strategic challenges:

1. Pakistan’s Nuclear Shield:
   Pakistan’s nuclear arsenal is the cornerstone of its military strategy. Its nuclear sites are intentionally hidden underground to ensure survivability in case of conflict. Facilities like Kahuta, nestled beneath mountain ranges, are nearly impossible to target with conventional bombs. The Agni-V changes that calculus.
2. Chinese Military Buildup:
   China’s extensive underground missile silos, storage sites, and command centres, especially along the Himalayan frontier, provide it with considerable military leverage. In the event of a border conflict, India needs the ability to strike these hardened facilities swiftly and decisively.
3. Geographic Challenges:
   The rugged terrain of the Himalayas and fortified bunkers in both adversary nations make traditional air strikes difficult. Bunker-buster missiles offer a more reliable, stand-off solution.
4. Lessons from Global Conflicts:
   The June 2025 U.S. strike on Iran’s Fordow nuclear facility using the GBU-57 bunker-buster bomb underscored the importance of such weapons. That operation demonstrated how underground nuclear programs can be neutralised without resorting to all-out war. India has clearly taken note.

Agni-V vs. America’s GBU-57: How India’s missile stacks up

Globally, the U.S. GBU-57 Massive Ordnance Penetrator (MOP) is considered the gold standard in bunker-busting munitions. Weighing 13,600 kg and capable of penetrating up to 60 meters of reinforced concrete or 130 feet of rock, it is a formidable weapon. However, its deployment is complex—it requires the B-2 Spirit stealth bomber, one of the most expensive and limited military aircraft in the world.

India’s Agni-V Bunker Buster offers several advantages:

• Greater Payload: Agni-V carries up to 8,000 kg of explosives, compared to GBU-57’s 2,700 kg payload, meaning greater destructive potential.
• Deeper Penetration: Capable of boring through up to 100 meters underground, Agni-V outperforms the American MOP’s 60-meter penetration.
• Mobility and Flexibility: Unlike the GBU-57, Agni-V is a canister-launched missile, deployable from road or rail platforms. It doesn’t require strategic bombers, making it faster, more mobile, and significantly cheaper to operate.
• Hypersonic Speed: The missile’s speed (Mach 8 to 20) means interception is nearly impossible. The GBU-57, dropped from 50,000 feet, travels at subsonic speeds, making it vulnerable to some defences.
• Indigenous and Cost-Effective: Developed entirely in India, Agni-V reduces reliance on foreign technology and offers a more economical solution for strategic strike missions.

Technological edge and precision

The Agni-V Bunker Buster incorporates state-of-the-art technology to ensure precision targeting. Its guidance system integrates:

• NavIC Navigation: India’s own satellite navigation network ensures accuracy, independent of foreign systems like GPS.
• Ring Laser Gyroscopes and Micro-Inertial Navigation Systems: These enhance mid-course correction capabilities, ensuring the missile remains on target even under electronic warfare conditions.
• Two Warhead Options:
  • Airburst Warhead: Destroys surface targets like airfields, radar stations, and enemy troop concentrations.
  • Deep-Penetration Warhead: Targets underground bunkers, missile silos, command centres, and hardened storage facilities.

The missile’s canister-based design allows for rapid deployment from mobile platforms, enhancing survivability and tactical flexibility. In a crisis, this means India can quickly position and launch the missile, catching adversaries off-guard.

Global bunker-buster arsenal: How India fares

Only a handful of nations possess credible bunker-busting capabilities:

• United States: GBU-57 MOP, GBU-28, and BLU-109 bombs. Delivery depends on expensive, limited bombers.
• China: DF-15C ballistic missile with limited 20-25 meter penetration.
• Russia: KAB and BetAB bombs, capable of shallow penetration (up to 5 meters).
• South Korea: Hyunmoo-4 and Hyunmoo-5 missiles, 24-meter penetration, 600 km range.
• Israel: Jericho-3 missile with 11,000 km range but only 800-900 kg payload.

With its combination of deep penetration, hypersonic speed, and heavy payload, India’s Agni-V Bunker Buster will likely rank as the second-most powerful system after the U.S. MOP—and arguably more flexible due to its mobile, canister-based launch capability.

Pakistan’s vulnerable military installations

Several high-value Pakistani facilities would be within Agni-V’s strike range:

• Kahuta Nuclear Facility: Pakistan’s primary nuclear weapons research and production centre, buried beneath mountains.
• Kirana Hills: Secret underground tunnels and bunkers storing nuclear weapons and hosting tests.
• Noor Khan Airbase: Underground weapons depots and command centres supporting Pakistan’s air force.
• Masroor Airbase: Near Karachi, known for missile storage and nuclear warhead stockpiling.

Neutralising these facilities could significantly degrade Pakistan’s retaliatory strike capabilities in a conflict scenario.

The bigger strategic message

Agni-V is more than a weapon—it’s a statement. It reflects India’s growing defence self-reliance, technological prowess, and willingness to prepare for high-intensity conflict scenarios. In particular:

• Credible Deterrence: The ability to destroy hardened enemy sites reinforces India’s strategic deterrence posture.
• Self-Reliant Defence: Fully indigenous design aligns with India’s push for defence self-sufficiency under ‘Atmanirbhar Bharat’.
• Regional Power Projection: Signals to adversaries that India is capable of swift, precise, and overwhelming retaliation, even against underground targets.

With the Agni-V Bunker Buster, India is entering an elite league of nations possessing deep-strike, high-speed, bunker-penetrating missile technology. Its development underscores India’s intent to neutralise emerging threats proactively, ensuring no underground enemy site remains beyond reach.

In the evolving security dynamics of South Asia, where nuclear posturing and hardened military facilities are the norm, such a capability isn’t just desirable, it’s essential for maintaining peace through strength.

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