India enters elite club with first rail-based Agni-Prime Missile, joining Russia and China-VIDEO

India successfully fires Agni-Prime missile from a rail-based mobile launcher, joining Russia and China in elite mobile strategic missile capability.

In a landmark defence milestone, India on September 24, 2025, successfully conducted the first-ever rail-based test of its Agni-Prime intermediate-range ballistic missile, marking a strategic leap in national deterrence capabilities.

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The missile was launched from a specially designed mobile launcher integrated with India’s railway network, enabling cross-country mobility, rapid deployment, and reduced visibility, a combination that significantly enhances the survivability of India’s strategic assets.
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh confirmed the test in a statement on X, calling it a “first-of-its-kind launch” that demonstrates India’s growing strategic reach. “This rail-based mobile system allows launch without preconditions, giving the armed forces flexibility across the country,” he said.

India has carried out the successful launch of Intermediate Range Agni-Prime Missile from a Rail based Mobile launcher system. This next generation missile is designed to cover a range up to 2000 km and is equipped with various advanced features.

The first-of-its-kind launch… pic.twitter.com/00GpGSNOeE

— Rajnath Singh (@rajnathsingh) September 25, 2025

Developed by the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) and operated by the Strategic Forces Command (SFC), the Agni-Prime has a strike range of 2,000 km. It follows previous Agni-Prime tests in August 2025 and the Agni-5 MIRV trial under Mission Divyastra in March 2024, which showcased multiple independently targetable re-entry vehicle capability. Currently, SFC operates only single-warhead missiles, but MIRV capabilities expand India’s deterrence options.

With this successful rail-based launch, India joins an elite club of nations including Russia and China, who possess canisterised rail-launch systems for strategic missiles, Russia with its Barguzin rail-based ICBM and China with the DF-41 rail-launched ICBM.

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The rail-mobile launcher allows India to move strategic missiles across vast distances on its national railway network, reducing the chances of detection and enabling short reaction times.

The successful test highlights India’s growing indigenous missile technology expertise and further solidifies its status as a leading military power capable of fielding next-generation, mobile, canisterised missile systems.