After the United States used GBU-57 bunker-buster bombs on Iran’s Fordow nuclear facility on June 22, India is now speeding up its efforts to build similar weapons. The goal is to prepare for future wars by creating a powerful new missile system that can destroy underground military targets.

India’s Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) is working on a new version of the Agni-5 missile. The original Agni-5 is a nuclear-capable missile with a range of over 5000 kilometres. But the new version will be a conventional weapon, meaning it won’t carry nuclear warheads. Instead, it will carry a very large 7500-kilogram bunker-buster bomb.

The missile is being designed to go deep into the earth—up to 80 to 100 metres—before exploding. This makes it powerful enough to destroy hardened enemy bunkers, command centres, and missile bases, especially in countries like Pakistan and China.

Two new Agni-5 missiles being built

India plans to build two new versions of the Agni-5 missile.

  • One version will have an airburst warhead, which explodes above ground.
  • The second version will be a deep-penetrating missile designed to hit underground military targets, just like the US’s GBU-57.

The United States dropped 14 GBU-57 bombs on Iran recently. These bombs are the world’s largest bunker-buster weapons, but they need large aircraft to deliver them. India’s version, however, will be missile-delivered, which is cheaper and more flexible.

Even though the range of the new missiles will be shorter—about 2500 kilometres—they will carry warheads as heavy as eight tonnes. That makes them some of the most powerful conventional (non-nuclear) weapons in the world.

The new missiles are expected to travel at hypersonic speeds, between Mach 8 and Mach 20, which is similar to the speed of the US bombs. India’s decision to build these weapons shows its growing military strength and focus on self-reliance in defence technology.

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