Latest news with #MIRVs
India.com
06-05-2025
- Politics
- India.com
Pakistan Test-Fires New Missiles: India Or Pakistan, Who Has More Powerful Missiles?
photoDetails english 2896497 Updated:May 06, 2025, 02:04 PM IST ICBM, MIRVs At Display 1 / 7 India and Pakistan, both nuclear-armed neighbors, have developed extensive missile arsenals as part of their strategic deterrence postures. While both nations possess a range of missile capabilities, India's missile program exhibits advancements in range, payload, and technology, particularly with the development of intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs) and multiple independently targetable reentry vehicle (MIRV) technology. 1. India's Long-Range Missile Capabilities 2 / 7 India's missile program, spearheaded by the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), includes the Agni series. Agni-V is an ICBM with a range of approximately 7,000–8,000 km, capable of carrying nuclear warheads and equipped with MIRV technology. Agni-VI is currently under development, this missile is expected to have a range exceeding 10,000 km and will also feature MIRV capabilities. 2. Pakistan's Missile Capabilities 3 / 7 Pakistan's missile arsenal primarily focuses on regional deterrence. Shaheen-III is a medium-range ballistic missile with a range of up to 2,750 km, capable of reaching all parts of India. Ababeel was tested in 2017, and this missile reportedly has a range of 2,200 km and is designed to carry MIRVs, enhancing its strategic capabilities. While these missiles bolster Pakistan's deterrence posture, their range and technological sophistication are currently limited compared to India's ICBMs. 3. Nuclear Warhead Estimates 4 / 7 Both countries maintain nuclear arsenals as part of their strategic deterrence and India is estimated to possess approximately 165-170 nuclear warheads. Pakistan is estimated to have around 170-172 nuclear warheads. 4. Technological Advancements 5 / 7 India has made significant strides in missile technology. India's successful test of the Agni-V with MIRV capability allows a single missile to carry multiple nuclear warheads, each capable of striking different targets. Pakistan's development of the Ababeel missile indicates efforts to achieve similar capabilities, though operational deployment details remain limited. 5. Strategic Doctrines 6 / 7 Adheres to a "No First Use" (NFU) nuclear policy, India emphasizing deterrence and restraint. Pakistan maintains a policy that allows for first use of nuclear weapons under certain circumstances, aiming to deter conventional military threats. 6. India vs Pakistan Verdict 7 / 7 In summary, while both India and Pakistan have developed missile capabilities to serve their strategic objectives, India's advancements in long-range ICBMs and MIRV technology provide it with a more extensive and technologically sophisticated missile arsenal. Pakistan continues to enhance its missile capabilities, focusing on regional deterrence and developing technologies trying to get an edge against India.
Express Tribune
25-03-2025
- Politics
- Express Tribune
India's growing missile capabilities
Listen to article Like other leading nuclear powers, India has been modernising its conventional and nuclear forces. Recent reports from the Bulletin of Atomic Scientists, Arms Control Today, Stockholm International Peace Research Institute, International Institute for Strategic Studies and many other leading national and international think tanks reflect how and why India is growing and modernising its deterrent forces. Scholarly assessments could be a) prestige, b) power projection, c) escalation dominance, and d) temptation for preemptive strikes for winning short and long battles. It is imperative to note that India has been developing Ballistic Missile Defense (BMD) systems, Multiple Independently-Targetable Reentry Vehicles (MIRVs), Submarine Launched Ballistic Missiles (SLBMs), the K-series ranging from 700km to expected 5000+km, Brahmos missile series from supersonic to hypersonic with increasing ranges from 500km to 1500km, S-400 sophisticated missile defense systems, and more importantly India's Defence Research & Development Organization has ambitious plans for Hypersonic Glide Vehicle (HGV) ranging up to 15000km. Technically, all these increasing ranges and lethality goes beyond China reaching up to the Central Asian region, Russia, Canada, the US and the Latin American countries. That said, India is not only increasing the number of nuclear weapons, but also the delivery systems required for carrying these warheads to assigned targets. The more India increases its warheads, the more delivery systems it would require. One of the sophisticated delivery systems is India's growing nuclear capable missile systems. It counts from short ranges reaching up to intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs). For example, it is reported in the Bulletin of Atomic Scientists on "India Nuclear Forces, 2024" that India's new Agni types of missiles could even go beyond ranges of 10,000km. Some scholars even assess that such ranges could further increase up to 16,000km. One wonders if India's growing missile capabilities with increasing ranges and sophistication could threaten regional and global security. Aforementioned, India's aspiration for power projection comes from its economic wherewithal and its increasing strategic partnership with the leading powers such as the US, Russia and Israel that in turn boosts up its force modernisation. The recent Trump-Modi meeting indicates how the US President might influence the Indian leadership to buy American technology including the US offer for its F-35 aircrafts. Whether or not India gets the F-35, the deterrent force modernisation and power maximisation emanating out of such an imbalanced strategic partnership increases India's security. This happens without strategically comprehending how this could potentially decrease the security of Pakistan amidst the acute security dynamics between the two South Asian rivals. India and Pakistan have already fought a number of wars, faced a number of crises and confronted many border skirmishes. Unresolved longstanding issue of Kashmir has become a nuclear flashpoint. The Balakot crisis on 26 February 2019 reflected India's failed, but escalatory risk for imposing its dominance in the region. However, Pakistan responded with the Swift Retort on the following day. The risk of escalation from conventional to nuclear level continues to exist and the growing strategic imbalance between the two rivals further worsens such escalatory risk in South Asia. The leading powers need to be cognisant of India's growing missile capabilities that accelerates arms race, security dilemma and crisis instability. The increasing imbalances emanating out of the leading powers growing strategic ventures with India adds fuel to the fire. Crisis management for the ultimate crisis resolution through the balancing act by major powers may help reduce the risk of escalation. Pakistan continues to retain strategic balance for ensuring its sovereignty and territorial integrity. Such strategic balance is India-specific for deterrence purposes while ensuring broader strategic stability in South Asia.
