Watch: Spectacular video from Bangladesh captures India's Agni MIRV missile launch
Footage from Cox's Bazar captured the night-time flight of India's advanced Agni missile during a test from Odisha. The launch under Mission Divyastra underscored India's progress in MIRV capability and strategic deterrence.
Stunning visuals captured from the sea beach at Cox's Bazar have revealed the dramatic night-time flight of India’s advanced Agni missile during a major strategic weapons test carried out from the Odisha coast last week.
The footage, recorded from across the Bay of Bengal, shows a blazing streak of light cutting through the night sky as the missile soared from Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam Island during a successful trial of an advanced Agni missile equipped with Multiple Independently Targeted Re-Entry Vehicle (MIRV) technology.
India conducted the test as part of ‘Mission Divyastra’, validating its capability to deploy multiple nuclear-capable warheads using a single missile platform.
The trial marked another major milestone in India’s strategic deterrence programme and places the country among a small group of nations possessing operational MIRV technology.
According to the Defence Ministry, the missile deployed multiple payloads targeted at different locations spread across a vast region in the Indian Ocean. The system allows a single ballistic missile to release several warheads mid-flight, with each warhead independently guided toward separate targets.
Authoritative sources identified the missile as a variant of the Agni-5, India’s long-range nuclear-capable ballistic missile developed by the Defence Research and Development Organisation.
The visuals from Bangladesh quickly gained attention online, with many users describing the sight as resembling a “celestial fire trail” stretching across the horizon. The footage also highlighted the immense altitude and visibility range of long-range missile launches conducted over the Bay of Bengal.
India first demonstrated MIRV capability with an Agni-5 test in March last year. The latest launch is believed to have further validated the missile’s payload deployment systems, guidance mechanisms, and re-entry technologies under operational conditions.
MIRV systems are considered a major advancement in missile warfare because they significantly enhance strike flexibility and make interception by missile defence systems far more difficult.
Instead of one warhead striking a single target, multiple re-entry vehicles can be directed toward different targets simultaneously.