Context

• The Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) successfully test-fired  indigenously developed Agni-5 ballistic missile with Multiple Independently Targetable Re-entry Vehicle (MIRV) technology under Mission Divyastra. 

Key Highlights On Mission Divyastra

• Mission Divyastra Flight Test: The flight test named Mission Divyastra was carried out from Dr A. P. J. Abdul Kalam Island in Odisha.
• Objective: The test emphasized firing multiple warheads to strike widely separated targets simultaneously.
• India Achieves MIRV Capability: With this test, India has joined the select group of nations with MIRV capability. The project director is a woman with significant women contributions.

Agni 5 Missile

• About: Agni is a long-range missile developed indigenously by the DRDO. It uses a three-stage solid-fuelled engine having a range of over 5,000 km.
• Features: The Agni 5 missile system is equipped with indigenous avionics systems and high-accuracy sensor packages, which ensured that the re-entry vehicles reached the target points within the desired accuracy.

• Maiden flight test of Agni-V: It was conducted in April 2012 and has since been tested multiple times. 
• MIRV Equipped Variant: This latest variant of the missile is equipped with MIRV technology, first developed at least five decades ago but in possession of only a handful of countries.
• Significance: This Agni, capable of carrying nuclear warheads, has a range of more than 5,000 km, making it a long-range missile, and is aimed mainly at thwarting the challenge from China.

What is MIRV Technology?

• About: 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.
• Nations with MIRV Technology: 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.
• Significance: It provides more target options to the attacker. The defender is compelled to simultaneously defend against them, potentially facing the challenge of overwhelming its anti-missile defences.
• Challenge with Technology: The development of MIRV technology is not easy. It requires the combination of large missiles, small warheads, accurate guidance, and a complex mechanism for releasing warheads sequentially during flight.

Working of MIRV Technology:

• Launch: A MIRV-equipped missile is launched and follows a ballistic trajectory into space, similar to any other ballistic missile.
• Post-boost phase: After the boost phase, the missile’s upper stage, known as the “bus,” reaches a suborbital spaceflight. In this phase, the bus manoeuvres and aligns itself based on the designated targets.
• Deployment: The bus sequentially deploys multiple warheads along with decoys and countermeasures. Each warhead can be assigned a different trajectory and target.
• Re-entry and Impact: The warheads re-enter the Earth’s atmosphere independently and proceed to their respective targets.

News Source: The Hindu