India Achieves MIRV Capability Causing Jitters to China

India has achieved the capability to launch Multiple, Independently Targetable Re-entry Vehicles (MIRV) following the recent, successful testing of its Agni-5 ICBM capable of carrying MIRVs. So far, India only had the capability to ICBMs carrying a single conventional or nuclear warheads, however, the latest test of the Agni-5 ICBM capable of carrying MIRV alters the overall dynamic as well as the balance of power in Asia as well as the entire Indo-Pacific region as the latest test provides India with the capability to target entire China given the 5,000+ km range of Agni-5 and the mastery of MIRV capability which provides a credible hit capability, either as a first strike or assured second strike capability. However, India, like China, has already committed to a no-first-use doctrine for its nuclear weapons. The exact strike range of Agni-5 ICBM and the number of MIRVs which could be carried by it, however, have not been disclosed by India. The MIRV capability, however, is likely to be highly relevant for India given the credible & assured strike capability it provides to India amid a planned, mega production ramp-up of nuclear weapons production by China through 2035 to counter the United States.