President congratulates DRDO on successful test-firing of Agni-V

President Pranab Mukherjee congratulated the DRDO on the successful test-firing of the third developmental trial of Agni-V surface-to-surface missile on Saturday.

In his message to Dr. Avinash Chander, Scientific Advisor to the Defence Minister and Director-General, DRDO, the President has said, "I extend hearty congratulations to all those associated with the successful test-firing of the third developmental trial of India's indigenous Agni-V surface-to-surface missile.

I am happy to know that many new technologies relating to navigation and guidance, warhead as well as engine has been tried out in this version. I understand today's test is also the first time the missile has been tried out in a canisterised version.

Kindly convey my felicitations to the members of your team of scientists, engineers, and all others involved in this effort. Our nation is grateful for their hard work and proud of their accomplishment," Mukherjee said.

Agni-V, India's longest range ballistic missile, was successfully test-fired from a canister on the Wheeler Island off the coast of Odisha on Saturday.

Developed by the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), this is the missile's third launch. However, it is the first from a canister, a method that allows the missile to be fired even from roads.

The missile can carry a 1.1-tonne nuclear warhead over 5,000 km.