First Time: Agni Prime Missile Fired From Train

India is no stranger to missile launches, with the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) and the Strategic Forces Command (SFC) regularly conducting tests of short-, medium-, and long-range systems. But the 25 September test of the Agni Prime was not just another routine exercise. For the first time, the nuclear-capable intermediate-range ballistic missile was fired from a specially designed rail-based launcher, pulled by an Indian Railways locomotive.

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh hailed the launch as a “first-of-its-kind," congratulating DRDO, SFC, and the armed forces for successfully putting India in a select group of nations with canisterised launch capability from an on-the-move rail network. Now India joined an elite list - Russia, the United States, and China - capable, or which had the capability, of firing railcar-based intercontinental ballistic missiles, or ICBMs.

"The first-of-its-kind launch was carried out from a specially-designed, rail-based mobile launcher," the Defence Minister said, "has the capability to move on the rail network without pre-conditions (and) that allows shorter reaction time and cross-country mobility."

Essentially, this means the Indian military can now launch the Agni Prime missile (and other suitable projectiles) from the remotest parts of the country, even without road support. All the military needs is a rail track running to the launch point and, with nearly 70,000 km of tracks as of March last year, the Indian Railways is the fourth-largest network in the world. The advantages of a rail-based missile-firing system extend beyond a greater number of launch points. It also means the military can hide missiles from enemy satellites in train tunnels.

That works particularly well if there is a tunnel near the launch point; that will allow the military to keep the missile concealed till the last minute, and catch the enemy by surprise when it is eventually fired.

Equally, it also offers an increased number of storage locations during times of war, when enemies might target military bases where the missiles might normally be stored. That last point is, perhaps, critical, given the recent military conflict with Pakistan that saw that country target Indian military establishments with drones and missiles.

But rail-based launchers have drawbacks too. The most obvious limitation is the track itself. Missiles can only be launched from the track, which means if there is no railway line running to the launch point, then the system is useless. Also, given the advanced technology that powers missiles and missile systems today, often these need to be fired from precise locations to ensure the target (and only the target) is hit.