The Agni-V ICBM is definitely India's answer to China's anti-satellite weapon which it had tested in January 2007. The US responded to the Chinese test by downing an unused satellite in 2008. In June 2010, the US indicated that they would consider a new treaty for restrictions on space-based weapons.
"Today, we have developed all the building blocks for an anti-satellite (ASAT) capability," scientific adviser to the defence minister and Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) chief Vijay Saraswat told media persons. The Agni-V test opened a new flank of vulnerability in India's $12 billion (Rs.60,000 crore) space infrastructure.
India has 10 satellites including the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) latest Radar Imaging Satellite (RISAT) 1. The satellite was launched on April 26 and has the capability to spy and identify one-metre wide objects from space. China's alarming test spurred India's quest for a similar satellite-killing system and the Agni-V gave way to that technology.
The rocket engines and the guidance system on the Agni-V can be modified & used to make it a potent satellite killer. The Agni-V ICBM scaled a height of 600 km before re-entering the atmosphere during the first test.
DRDO will field a full-fledged ASAT weapon based on Agni and ad-2 ballistic missile interceptor by 2014. The ASAT weapon will although not be publicly tested.
This was confirmed by Saraswat who says that India will not test this capability through the destruction of a satellite. Such a test risked showering lethal debris in space that could damage existing satellites. Instead, India's ASAT capability would be fine-tuned through simulated electronic tests.
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