Agni-5 To Transform Into ‘Bunker Buster’: DRDO Developing Missile for Strategic Non-Nuclear Strikes With 7,500 Kg Warhead, Mach 8 Speed: Reports

In view of the US using bunker buster bombs GBU-57/A Massive Ordnance Penetrators against Iran’s three nuclear facilities last month, India is also developing a similar weapon with the aim to penetrate deep into enemy targets. Taking lessons from global conflicts, India’s Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) is developing a modified version of the Agni-5 intercontinental ballistic missile, reported India Today.

According to reports, the original range of this missile is over 5,000 km. However, the new range of the modified version is reportedly reduced to half. This deadly missile can carry a 7,500-kilogram bunker-buster warhead. It can penetrate up to 80–100 metres underground before exploding.

India’s ‘bunker busters’ will not require stealth bomber aircraft, as they will be missile-delivered, making them cost-effective, reported the media house. It can prove to be a gamechanger in the region. As it can carry a warhead weighing around 7,500 kg, the modified version of Agni-5 will be more potent than America’s GBU-57/A MOP. The new missile can reportedly travel at a speed of over Mach 8.

Also Read: What Is GBU-57 MOP? US Bunker Buster Bomb That Israel Needs To Destroy Iran’s Nuclear Sites

The development of these ‘bunker busters’ is in line with India’s Aatmanirbhar Bharat initiative. It also underlines the country’s growing defence capabilities.

Key Features:

Agni-5 Bunker Buster (Conventional Variant) – Key Features

• Platform: Modified version of the Agni-5 Intercontinental Ballistic Missile (ICBM)
• Purpose: Designed to destroy deep underground or hardened bunkers without using nuclear warheads
• Range: Estimated around 2,500 km (shorter than standard Agni-5 due to heavy conventional warhead)
• Warhead Type: Conventional deep-penetration or thermobaric high-explosive warhead
• Penetration Capability: Can pierce 80–100 meters of reinforced earth or concrete
• Terminal Speed: Hypersonic impact at Mach 8 to Mach 20
• Accuracy: High precision with <10-meter Circular Error Probable (CEP)
• Warhead: 7,500 kg