DRDO Chairman Samir V Kamat confirms readiness for Agni-VI ICBM development; LR-AShM hypersonic glide missile nears initial trials at the ANI Security Summit 2.0.

Where Agni-VI fits in India's missile lineage

India's Agni series of land-based ballistic missiles is developed under the Integrated Guided Missile Development Programme (IGMDP) legacy, now driven through DRDO. Agni-I (~700 km) is short-range; Agni-II (~2,000 km) and Agni-III (~3,500-3,000 km) are medium and intermediate; Agni-IV (~4,000 km) and Agni-V (~5,000-5,500 km, ICBM-class, MIRV-capable in latest variant) extend the range. Agni-VI is publicly described as the next-generation intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) — definitionally >5,500 km range — with longer reach, improved accuracy, and likely MIRV (Multiple Independently-targetable Re-entry Vehicle) capability. DRDO's confirmation that it is technically ready leaves the trigger to a political-strategic decision by the Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS).

The LR-AShM — India's first naval hypersonic glide missile

The Long-Range Anti-Ship Missile (LR-AShM) is being developed to meet the Indian Navy's coastal-battery requirement — a shore-launched, long-range strike capability against surface ships at sea. It is built on hypersonic glide vehicle (HGV) technology: a two-stage solid-propulsion rocket boosts the missile, the first stage separates after burnout, and the second stage accelerates it to hypersonic speeds. It then enters an unpowered glide phase following a quasi-ballistic trajectory — peak speeds of ~Mach 10, averaging ~Mach 5 with multiple skips. Indigenous avionics and high-accuracy sensor packages let it engage static and moving targets with terminal-phase manoeuvres. This combination — long range + hypersonic glide + terminal manoeuvre — defeats most current ship-based anti-air systems, which struggle with hypersonic and skipping trajectories.

Hypersonic glide vs hypersonic cruise — the engineering distinction

Both hypersonic glide missiles (HGM) and hypersonic cruise missiles (HCM) travel at >Mach 5. The engineering difference is propulsion. HGMs use a conventional rocket booster to reach hypersonic speed and then glide unpowered — like a high-speed wing or lifting body — using aerodynamic lift. HCMs use an air-breathing scramjet engine (Supersonic Combustion Ramjet) that compresses incoming air via the vehicle's forward motion, mixes it with fuel, and burns at supersonic flow — sustaining powered hypersonic flight throughout the cruise. Globally, Russia's Avangard (HGM) and Tsirkon (HCM-like), China's DF-ZF (HGM), and the US AGM-183 ARRW (HGM, since cancelled) and HACM (HCM) are key comparators. India's HGM is ahead of the HCM in development; the HCM programme has not yet been sanctioned, but the indigenous scramjet propulsion has been tested for >1,000 seconds — a major standalone milestone.

Multi-layered conventional missile force — the doctrinal context

Defence Secretary Rajesh Kumar Singh and DRDO Chairman Kamat both spoke about a multi-layered conventional missile force under consideration. The envisaged structure spans: (a) short-range ballistic (e.g., Pralay — ~150-500 km, indigenous quasi-ballistic, in final testing); (b) medium-range ballistic (potentially adapting strategic systems like Agni-I/II for tactical roles); (c) long-range ballistic up to ~2,000 km; (d) cruise missiles (e.g., BrahMos — the Indo-Russian supersonic cruise missile being cost-optimised); and (e) hypersonic (LR-AShM, future HCM). The doctrinal frame is conventional deterrence — strike capability that doesn't require crossing the nuclear threshold but provides credible battlefield-level options. This is distinct from the strategic forces under the Strategic Forces Command (SFC) that handle nuclear-tipped Agni-class systems.

Pralay and the cost-optimisation push

Pralay is an indigenously developed solid-propellant quasi-ballistic missile (150-500 km range) with state-of-the-art guidance and navigation. It is capable of carrying multiple types of warheads against various targets. DRDO Chairman Kamat said Pralay 'is now in the final stages of testing... should be ready' for induction. Separately, DRDO is pursuing cost-optimisation of BrahMos (the Indo-Russian supersonic cruise missile, joint-venture between BrahMos Aerospace and India's DRDO + Russia's NPO Mashinostroyeniya) — examining each subsystem to bring unit cost down. The overall thrust is indigenisation + scale: India transitioning from a missile-importer/co-producer to a missile-exporter (BrahMos exports to the Philippines, deliveries 2024-25, and reportedly to other countries in advanced talks).

What's behind the readiness signal

The 'we are ready, awaiting government go-ahead' framing is a familiar signalling device in DRDO public communication — it telegraphs technical readiness while leaving the political decision to the Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) and the Nuclear Command Authority (NCA). The strategic context matters: India's nuclear doctrine is No-First-Use and credible minimum deterrence, but range expansion (beyond Agni-V's ~5,500 km) extends China-targeting options to all Chinese cities and into intercontinental coverage. China's deployment of DF-41 (~14,000 km, MIRV), DF-26, and hypersonic DF-ZF systems forms the regional deterrent backdrop. Pakistan's Shaheen-III (~2,750 km) is comparatively shorter but operational. Agni-VI sanction would be a doctrinal statement as much as a hardware programme.