India has emerged as a major missile power with the successful launch of Agni-V ballistic missile and the production of the weapon system would start in a year’s time, DRDO chief, Dr V.K. Saraswat, has said.

“This launch has given a message to the entire world that India has the capability to design, develop, build and manufacture missiles of this class, and we are today a missile power,” Dr Saraswat said today after the launch of the 5,000 km range surface-to-surface Inter Continental Ballistic Missile (ICBM).

The Defence Research and Development Organisation chief said that the missile launch was a major milestone in the defence preparedness of the country.

“We are going to conduct two more tests and that will be validation tests..., and then the production of this system will start. It is going to take a year maximum,” he said.

Dr Saraswat said that he expected the missile to be inducted into the armed forces in the next two years. He said the successful launch of Agni-V was just the beginning of a new series of missiles.

“We go from here to many other missiles which will have the capability for MIRV (Multiple Independently Targetable Re-entry Vehicle) for anti-satellite system, which will also be built using this technology for launching micro, mini and nano satellites to meet the requirement of the armed forces on very, very short notice,” he said.

Dr Saraswat said that barring some electronic components, the Agni-V was a completely indigenous product.

“More than 80 per cent of the missile is indigenous, except for the electronic components which we import...Everything has been designed, developed and produced in our industry and our laboratory,” he said.

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