Agni-4 Missile

About Agni-4 Missile:

• It is an intermediate-range ballistic missile.
• The launch of this Agni-4 was carried out from the Integrated Test Range in Odisha’s Chandipur.
• The launch successfully validated all operational and technical parameters. It was conducted under the aegis of the Strategic Forces Command, a part of India's Nuclear Command Authority (NCA).
• Features:
  • It can hit as far as 4,000 kilometres.
  • The 20-metre-long missile can carry a payload of 1,000 kg and can be fired from a road-mobile launcher.
  • It is a surface-to-surface missile.
  • It is a mobile, two-stage solid-fuel system.
• The Agni missiles are designed and developed by the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO).

Key facts about Strategic Forces Command

• It is sometimes called Strategic Nuclear Command, forms part of India's Nuclear Command Authority (NCA), which is responsible for command-and-control decisions regarding India’s nuclear weapons programme.
• SFC is responsible for the management and administration of the country's tactical and strategic nuclear weapons stockpile.
• It was created on January 4, 2003.

Q1: What is the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO)?

DRDO was formed in 1958 by merging the then-existing Technical Development Establishment (TDEs) of the Indian Army and the Directorate of Technical Development and Production (DTDP) with the Defence Science Organisation (DSO).

Source: Agni-4 ballistic missile successfully test-fired in Odisha