India has started building a new series of powerful missiles that can strike heavily protected underground structures. The Agni-5 missile, which can travel over 5,000 kilometres, is getting equipped with conventional payloads.

The Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) is also creating an advanced version of the Agni-5 intercontinental ballistic missile, which will be able to hit well-protected underground sites, according to a report by India Today.

This development comes after the United States recently used Massive Ordnance Penetrator bombs designed to destroy bunkers at Iranian nuclear sites.

Although the current Agni-5 has a range of more than 5,000 kilometres and uses standard warheads, the upgraded version is expected to carry a 7,500-kilogram bunker-busting warhead.

This missile is being built to destroy enemy locations buried under thick layers of concrete and is designed to penetrate between 80 and 100 metres below the surface.

India is aiming to reach the same level of military strength as the United States has shown.

On June 22, the United States launched sudden attacks on Iran’s underground uranium enrichment site at Fordow as well as nuclear facilities in Isfahan and Natanz using B-2 bombers that dropped twelve bunker-buster bombs.

India wants to match and go beyond these capabilities by designing bunker-busting weapons that can be launched through missiles rather than using expensive bomber planes.

While the United States relies on large and costly aircraft to drop its bunker-buster bombs, India plans to build a missile version that is lighter, more affordable, and quicker to deploy.

As per the report, two different versions of the updated Agni-5 missile are under development. One version will be armed with an airburst warhead for attacking surface targets and the other will be a deep-penetration missile designed to break through strong underground defences.

The report also mentioned that the warhead will weigh around eight tonnes, and the missile's range of this version will be close to 2,500 kilometres.

These new missiles are also expected to be hypersonic, capable of reaching speeds between Mach 8 and Mach 20.

This advanced Agni-5 missile will be a key part of India’s defence system for targeting command hubs, missile storage sites, and other important military locations.