Sumaila Zaman
Sumaila Zaman is a Chief Sub Editor at India.com, where she covers key developments and trending events across education, world affairs, business, and current news. At India.com, she specializes in br ... Read More
In light of the ongoing conflicts occurring around the world, India is beefing up its defence structure in order to be prepared for developing security challenges and to be strategically prepared on all fronts. At present, India is in the process of developing a massively destructive Intercontinental Ballistic Missile (ICBM), which is being called a next-generation bunker buster. This missile is characterized as extremely lethal due to its remarkable capabilities. This missile can penetrate 80 to 100 meters underground before detonating. This next-generation bunker buster will surely be incredibly lethal.
This missile is being developed by the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO). Named the Agni-5 Bunker Buster, this missile can carry both conventional and nuclear warheads with an approximate payload of about 7,500 to 8,000 kilograms. Just the payload capacity gives an indication of the size of destruction it’s capable of.
The key feature of the Agni-5 missile is its hypersonic speed, which ranges between Mach 8 to Mach 20, and strike range of approximately 2,500 kilometers. With that depth of capability, Agni-5 is superior to some of the most sophisticated bunker buster weapons available, including America’s GBU-57 Massive Ordnance Penetrator (MOP) and KAB-1500L-Pr from Russia.
Several reports have stated Agni-5 is the most lethal deep-penetration weapon in the world, nearly impossible for adversaries to defend against. An exemplary feature of the Agni-5 Bunker Buster is that the new variant sacrifices range for payload, carrying a 7,500–8,000 kg warhead designed to penetrate 80–100 meters of reinforced concrete or rock before detonating, reported the Indian Defence Research Wing(IDRW).
If media reports are to be believed, India is developing several different variants of Agni-5 missiles. Some of these variants began the development process earlier this year. According to the reports, one of these variants is likely to have a strike range of more than 5,000 km.
In the new versions of the Agni-5, the payload has been maximized. While it may still hold a warhead ranging between 7,500 and 8,000 kg, the missile is built to penetrate as deep as 80 to 100 meters into solid rock before it detonates, allowing it to deep-strike.
Another key feature of Agni-5 is its mobility—it can be launched from a mobile launcher (mobile trunk), which means it can be deployed from multiple terrains and locations. Agni-5’s deep-penetration warhead variant can completely destroy heavily fortified underground sites, such as Pakistan’s Kirana Hills nuclear storage facility, or China’s missile silos on the Himalayan border.
“Its ability to burrow 80–100 meters underground before detonation positions it as a critical asset for pre-emptive strikes or counterforce operations, potentially neutralizing enemy nuclear assets without crossing the nuclear threshold. Additionally, a second variant with an airburst warhead is being developed for surface targets like airfields and radar stations, enhancing the missile’s versatility,” reads the IDRW report.
GBU-57/B Massive Ordnance Penetrator (United States)
Russia developed the KAB-1500L-PR for the destruction of enemy underground facilities. The “PR” in the name KAB-1500L-PR stands for Penetrating/High-Penetration variant. It is classified as a laser-guided bomb, which means the accuracy of strikes can be enhanced at times.
China has a strong bunker buster missile called the DF-15C, or Dong Feng-15C. The DF-15C is a short-range ballistic missile (SRBM) and is a type of bunker buster specifically derived from the DF-15 missile family. For comparison, India’s Agni-5 bunker buster variant which penetrates a reported 80-100 meters deep. “The Agni-5’s 80–100-meter penetration and 7,500 kg payload far exceed the DF-15C’s capabilities, making it a superior option for targeting China’s underground missile silos. Its longer range (2,500 km vs. 900 km) and hypersonic speed enhance its strategic utility,” IDRW reported.
In a piece in Dawn, defence analyst Rabia Akhtar described India’s Agni-5 as a significant risk to Pakistan, and appealed to the international community to intervene and discontinue its production. She labelled the missile as a unsettling shocking development, and stated that it is a serious threat to not only surface-based targets but also deep underground command and control centres and nuclear facilities. With its 7,500 kg payload, the missile would have the capacity to excavate from 80 to 100 meters underground.
Rabia Akhtar, a Lahore University professor, called this missile as a dangerous shift in India’s military strategy. She was concerned that the Agni-5 could overlap conventional and nuclear warfare; this increases the chances of instability and miscalculations in the region.
In her words, if India uses a missile like that to target Pakistan’s nuclear command centers or hidden bunkers, Pakistan may see it as a nuclear threat, and in that situation, even if it was a conventional missile attack, it could very possibly turn into a nuclear war from a conventional missile strike causing an incredibly perilous chain reaction.
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