Agni, Akash, Prithvi & more: How a 1983 Kalam‑led project remade India’s defence and forged missile mastery

The Integrated Guided Missile Development Programme (IGMDP) was conceived in 1983 by PM Indira Gandhi, defence minister R. Venkataraman and DRDO chief V.S. Arunachalam.

Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam was moved from ISRO’s SLV-3 project to lead the IGMDP, which produced five missiles: Agni, Prithvi, Akash, Trishul and Nag.

Prithvi was India’s first short-range ballistic missile (150–300 km range, up to 1,000 kg payload, nuclear-capable), with a naval variant (Dhanush) tested in 2004.

The Agni series evolved from a technology demonstrator into India’s primary strategic deterrent, with ranges from ~700 km to over 5,000 km, including Agni-V.

Akash, a medium-range surface-to-air missile (~25 km range), performed in Operation Sindoor, engaging Pakistani drones and missiles, and is being upgraded to replace Soviet-era systems.