MISSION DIVYASTRA

Why in News?                                                                                                        

The Vice-President of India, Shri Jagdeep Dhankhar extended his congratulations on the success of Mission Divyastra, the first flight test of the indigenously developed Agni-5 missile with Multiple Independently Targetable Re-entry Vehicle (MIRV).

What is Mission Divyastra?

• The flight test named Mission Divyastra was carried out from Dr A. P. J. Abdul Kalam Island in Odisha.
• The test emphasized firing multiple warheads to strike widely separated targets simultaneously.

What is Agni 5 missile?

• Agni-V is India’s intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM), developed by the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO).
• The range of Agni-V extends beyond 5,000 kilometers and can reach most parts of China.
• It’s a three-stage missile powered by solid fuel. Using composite motor casing in the second and third stages makes it lighter, improving both its range and payload capacity.

What is Multiple Independently Targetable Re-entry Vehicle (MIRV) Technology?

• The MIRV technology means a single missile can carry multiple warheads.
• The MIRV can target multiple targets hundreds of kilometres apart with a single missile.
• These missiles can be launched from land or sea from a submarine.
• MIRVs can cause more destruction than traditional missiles that carry a single warhead
• As of now, the United States, Russia, China, France and the United Kingdom are known to have MIRV-equipped missiles.
• The US was the first country to develop MIRV technology, deploying a MIRVed Intercontinental Ballistic Missile (ICBM) in 1970 and a MIRVed Submarine-Launched Ballistic Missile (SLBM) in 1971.