The Agni-III is an Indian intermediate-range ballistic missile inducted into service in 2011 as the successor of the Agni-II. It has a range of 3,000 to 5,000 kilometres and can reach targets deep inside neighbouring countries including China.
The Strategic Forces Command (SFC), sometimes called Strategic Nuclear Command, forms part of India's Nuclear Command Authority (NCA). It is responsible for the management and administration of the country's tactical and strategic nuclear weapons stockpile. It was created on 4 January 2003 by the Vajpayee Government. Air Marshal Teja Mohan Asthana became its first commander-in-chief.
The Integrated Guided Missile Development Programme (IGMDP) was an Indian Ministry of Defence programme for the research and development of the comprehensive range of missiles. The programme was managed by the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) and Ordnance Factories Board in partnership with other Indian government political organisations. The project started in 1982–83 under the leadership of Abdul Kalam who oversaw its ending in 2008 after these strategic missiles were successfully developed.
The Agni missile is a family of medium to intercontinental range ballistic missiles developed by India, named after one of the five elements of nature. Agni missiles are long range, nuclear weapons capable surface to surface ballistic missile. The first missile of the series, Agni-I was developed under the Integrated Guided Missile Development Program (IGMDP) and tested in 1989. After its success, Agni missile program was separated from the IGMDP upon realizing its strategic importance. It was designated as a special program in India's defence budget and provided adequate funds for subsequent development. As of November 2019, the missiles in the Agni series are being inducted into service. The family comprises the following:
Kota Harinarayana is an aviation engineer popularly considered as the father of the indigenous fighter programme in India. He was born in a Telugu family in Brahmapur on the border of Odisha and Andhra Pradesh. He was appointed as Chairman of the Board of Governors of IIT (BHU), Varanasi by Hon'ble President of India on 25.08.2020 for three years. He was the Vice-Chancellor of the University of Hyderabad and the President of the Aeronautical Society of India. His schooling is from City High School, Brahmapur. He obtained his bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering from Indian Institute of Technology (BHU) Varanasi in 1964, and received master's degree in Aerospace Engineering from Indian Institute of Science. He got his Ph.D from IIT Bombay. He also holds a bachelor's degree in law. He was Programme Director and Chief Designer of India's Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) Tejas Programme.
Agni-IV ("Fire") is the fourth in the Agni series of missiles which was earlier known as Agni II prime. It has been developed by India's DRDO and displayed a number of new technologies and significant improvement in missile technology. The missile is light-weight and has two stages of solid propulsion and a payload with re-entry heat shield. With 3,500 to 4,000 km range, it is capable of striking targets in nearly all of mainland China, if launched from northeastern part of India.
Vasudev Kalkunte Aatre is an Indian scientist and former head of the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), India's premier Defence research and development organization. In that capacity, he also served as the Scientific Advisor to the Defence Minister. He is a recipient of the Padma Vibhushan award.
Agni-V is an Indian nuclear-capable ballistic missile developed by the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO). The missile is believed to have a range of around 5,000 to 8,000 kilometers. Indian officials describe it as an intercontinental missile, or ICBM,. It is a three-stage, road-mobile and solid-fuelled missile which is transported by a truck and launched via a canister. Its first flight was conducted in 2012.
A Sivathanu Pillai is an Indian scientist who formerly served as Honorary Distinguished Professor at Indian Space Research Organisation (2015-2018) and an honorary professor at IIT Delhi in the Department of Mechanical Engineering (2015-2016) and a Visiting Professor at Indian Institute of Science (2014-2015).
Vijay Kumar Saraswat is an Indian scientist who formerly served as the Director General of the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) and the Chief Scientific Advisor to the Indian Minister of Defence. He retired on 31 May 2013 and presently member of NITI Aayog i.e. Planning Commission of India and Chancellor of Jawaharlal Nehru University.
Agni-VI is an intercontinental ballistic missile developed by the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) for the Strategic Forces Command (SFC) of Indian Armed Forces.
Tessy Thomas is an Indian scientist and Director General of Aeronautical Systems and the former Project Director for Agni-IV missile in Defence Research and Development Organisation. She is the first ever woman scientist to head a missile project in India.
The use of rockets in India, for warfare, dates back to the 18th century. Mysorean rockets were the first iron-cased rockets that were successfully deployed for military use, reverse-engineered by British and introduced in the Europe as Congreve rocket. After British colonisation of India, scientific R&D in Indian dynasties was restricted and military science in India lagged.
Vallampadugai Srinivasa Raghavan Arunachalam is an Indian scientist. He is the founder and Chairman of CSTEP, a science and technology think tank.
Professor Bhagavatula Dattaguru is an Indian engineer and academic. He has received several awards, including the Padma Shri Award, India's fourth highest civilian honour in 2005 in the field of science and engineering.
Avinash Chander is an Indian scientist who was Scientific Adviser to the Defence Minister, the Director General of Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), and Secretary, Department of Defence Research and Development. He had succeeded V. K. Saraswat to this post.
Prahlada is an Indian missile scientist, former vice chancellor of Defence Institute of Advanced Technology and a former director of Defence Research and Development Laboratory, the largest of the Defence Research and Development Organization laboratories in India, known for his contributions to Indian space programme. He was honoured by the Government of India in 2015 with Padma Shri, the fourth highest Indian civilian award.
N. Prabhakar is an Indian scientist and the Chief Controller, System Analysis and Modelling Centre (SAM-C) of the Defence Research and Development Organization (DRDO). He graduated in Electrical and Electronics Engineering (BE) from Annamalai University and enrolled at the Indian Institute of Science, Bengaluru from where he obtained his master's degree (ME). He pursued his research at Shanmugha Arts, Science, Technology & Research Academy, secured a doctoral degree in Air Defence Systems and joined the Defence Research and Development Laboratory (DRDL) in 1980.
Ramadas Panemangalore Shenoy was an Indian defence scientist and writer, known for his contributions in the field of Radar technology. He secured a doctoral degree in Electrical Engineering from the University of Wisconsin–Madison and joined Defence Research and Development Organization in 1961, involving himself with the indigenous development of Radar technology till his retirement, as a Distinguished Scientist, in 1989.
Dr G. Satheesh Reddy is an Indian aerospace scientist and the current Chairman of Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) and Secretary, Department of Defence R&D, Government of India and Director General, Aeronautical Development Agency (ADA). In June 2015 he was also appointed as a scientific adviser to the defence minister of India. Satheesh presently heads Dr APJ Abdul Kalam Missile Complex. Satheesh is the Chief Architect of India's Mission Shakti Anti Satellite Missile Test (ASAT) and led the entire launch operations. An acclaimed navigation specialist, Reddy personally led the development of systems that guide a missile, itself travelling at hypersonic velocity, to a satellite 300 km away that is travelling through space at almost 30,000 km per hour and achieved a direct hit with centimeters of accuracy.
