The Agni-I is an Indian short-range ballistic missile (SRBM) with a range of 700 km. The Indian Army’s Strategic Forces Command first deployed the nuclear-capable, road-mobile missile in 2007.

Agni-I Development

The Agni-I originated from India’s 1983 Integrated Guided Missile Development Program, which also developed the Prithvi, Nag, Akash, and Trishul missiles. India’s Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) originally envisioned a two-stage rocket—the Agni demonstrator—for validating reentry vehicle technologies. The DRDO adapted the Agni from two existing boosters: a solid-fueled first stage from India’s SLV-3 space launch vehicle, and a modified Prithvi-I body for the missile’s upper stage.¹

On May 22, 1989, India flight tested the Agni demonstrator for the first time. The test, a success, came after two cancelled launch attempts. In 1992, the DRDO tested an upgraded Agni demonstrator with a maneuvering reentry vehicle and open interstage, which eliminated the need for ullage motors between the first and second stages. DRDO conducted a third flight of the demonstrator—in its upgraded configuration—in 1994.²

After concluding reentry studies, the DRDO reconfigured the Agni demonstrator as a single-stage ballistic missile: the Agni-I. Agni-I development began in 1999 and the missile underwent its first test on January 25, 2002. While the missile’s reentry vehicle reportedly failed to separate, a second test on January 9, 2003 was successful. The Indian Army approved the Agni-I for full-rate production in August 2004 and accepted it into service in 2007.³

India’s Strategic Forces Command has regularly tested the Agni-I since its initial deployment. The missile underwent successful test launches in 2015, 2016, and 2018.⁴

Agni-I Specifications

The Agni-I is 15 m long, 1 m in diameter, and has a launch weight of 12,000 kg. It has a range of 700 km with an estimated payload of 1,000 kg, which allows it to carry nuclear warheads.⁵ With reduced payloads, the Agni-I may be capable of ranging up to 1,200 km, a distance which encompasses all of Pakistan.

The Agni-I employs a 1 m-diameter solid-propellant booster modified from the Indian Space Research Organisation’s (ISRO) SLV-3. Unlike the SLV-3, the motor employs HTPB composite propellant and produces roughly 48,000 kg of thrust. The missile employs a strapdown inertial guidance system and uses thrust vectoring and control surfaces on its wingtips to maneuver.⁶

The Agni-I is designed to be launched from rail-based platforms or road-mobile transporter erector launchers (TELs). The TEL, designated “Mark III” by the DRDO, is a tractor-trailer system, employing a separate prime mover and trailer with the missile and launch arm.⁷