India has officially joined the select group of nations with rail-launched ballistic missile technology. The successful test of the Agni-Prime missile, carried out on September 24 from a modified rail car, marks a significant strategic advancement for the country’s defense forces.
Developed by the DRDO agency in collaboration with the Strategic Forces Command, the system was evaluated in a “complete operational scenario,” increasing the credibility of India’s nuclear deterrence.
The main advantage of the rail system is survivability. By utilizing the country’s vast railway network, which spans over 60,000 kilometers and includes numerous tunnels, missiles can be moved and hidden easily, making them extremely difficult to track and destroy by an adversary.
The Agni-Prime, with a range of up to 2,000 km, can target all of Pakistan’s territory and strategic targets in southwestern China, two neighbors with which India has ongoing geopolitical tensions and territorial disputes.
This development comes amid growing modernization of China’s military forces and regional tensions. The initiative places India on par with countries like China, which is also developing a similar system, and North Korea, which has already conducted tests of this type.
Rail mobility offers a relatively low-cost and highly effective way to protect nuclear assets, thus altering the strategic calculus and balance of power in South Asia.
Source: The War Zone | Photo: X @DRDO_India | This content was created with AI assistance and reviewed by the editorial team
Intermediate Range Agni-Prime Missile was successfully tested on 24 Sep 2025 from a Rail based Mobile launcher. This will be a force multiplier to strategic forces, with a game changer road cum rail missile system pic.twitter.com/bEmDQoHNUf
— DRDO (@DRDO_India) September 25, 2025
