India’s Defense Research and Development Organization (DRDO) has tested a rail-mobile version of its nuclear-capable AGNI-PRIME Medium-Range Ballistic Missile (MRBM).

The announcement has been done through the social media page of the organization which also shows a video of the launch. The comment which accompanies the clip, highlights that “this will be a force multiplier to strategic forces, with a game changer road cum rail missile system.”

As stated by India’s Minister of Defense, Rajnath Singh, this project puts India in a small group of nations that have already developed this capability (USA, Russia, China and North Korea), and as highlighted, enhance its conventional and nuclear missile forces on deterring its 2 major adversaries, China and Pakistan. The test described by DRDO as a “full operational scenario” was carried out at an unspecified location in India in coordination with the country’s Strategic Forces Command (SFC). The rail-based version of the launch system includes the containerized AGNI-PRIME missile, as well as an independent launch capability, communication systems, and undisclosed protection features. In details, as shown in the video clip, the missile launcher is integrated inside a modified boxcar, with clamshell-type doors on the top. Due to almost all of India’s rail network being electrified, the boxcar is fitted with an extendable arm that serves to move overhead electrical wires.

A train-based missile launcher offers the advantage of adding additional launching platforms, reducing the vulnerability to preemptive or counterattacks. It can exploit a very extensive railway network — around 40,000 miles in all — allowing missiles to be rapidly dispersed, hard to detect and monitor. With rail tunnels available throughout the line, these would provide ready-made hardened bunkers and positions which could be rolled out from, fired, and then rolled back into the tunnel or moved to another one very rapidly, making them extremely hard to destroy. They could also be camouflaged through the normal rail cars, making them almost impossible to identify and targeted. The AGNI-PRIME (or AGNI-P), already in service in its road-mobile form, is designed to have a range of between 1,000 and 2,000 km (621 and 1,243 miles). It is expected to complement or replace India’s previous AGNI-I (700 km) and AGNI-II (2,000 km).

China has followed the Indian test deploying its missile and satellite-tracking vessel YUAN WANG 5 in the Indian Ocean.

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