2025: The Year India’s Missile Power Came of Age

By the end of 2025, India’s missile programme had matured into a fully operational and credible force. Capabilities once developmental had been rigorously tested, validated in real-world contexts, and integrated across domains. The year culminated on December 31 with a salvo launch of two Pralay short-range quasi-ballistic missiles from a single launcher off the Odisha coast. Fired in rapid succession during user evaluation trials, the missiles demonstrated precise, high-intensity conventional strikes capable of saturating and overwhelming modern air-defence systems.

This milestone capped a transformative period for India’s missile ecosystem, built on decades of self-reliance. The journey accelerated after the 1962 war with China unveiled the defence vulnerabilities. In 1983, the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) launched the Integrated Guided Missile Development Programme (IGMDP), which established foundational systems: Prithvi for short-range strikes, Agni for longer ranges, Akash for air defence, Trishul for point threats, and Nag for anti-armour roles. Technology denial regimes imposed after the 1974 and 1998 nuclear tests—under frameworks like the Missile Technology Control Regime (MTCR)—compelled indigenous development of engines, guidance, and propulsion. What began as necessity evolved into strategic autonomy.

Confidence in these systems deepened through operational experience, particularly Operation Sindoor in May 2025. Launched in response to the April 22 Pahalgam terrorist attack in Jammu and Kashmir—which killed 26 civilians, mostly tourists—Operation Sindoor involved precise stand-off strikes on terrorist infrastructure deep inside Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir. India employed systems like the BrahMos supersonic cruise missile (launched from Sukhoi-30MKI aircraft) and SCALP missiles from Rafale jets to neutralise high-value targets with minimal escalation. The four-day operation underscored a doctrinal shift: modern deterrence hinges on surgical accuracy, speed, and escalation control rather than sheer range or payload alone.

The 2025 tests reflected this emphasis. In August, the Strategic Forces Command conducted an operational readiness test of the Agni-5 ballistic missile from Chandipur’s Integrated Test Range. With a range of approximately 5,000 km, Agni-5 solidifies the land-based leg of India’s nuclear deterrent. September brought further advancement: Agni-Prime was successfully launched from a rail-based mobile launcher, enabling dispersal across India’s extensive rail network for enhanced survivability and reduced vulnerability to pre-emptive strikes.

These land systems anchor one pillar of India’s credible minimum deterrence, realised through a full nuclear triad. The sea-based leg advanced significantly with the successful test of the K-4 submarine-launched ballistic missile (SLBM)—range 3,500 km—from INS Arighaat in the Bay of Bengal during late December. Air-delivered options via platforms like the Sukhoi-30MKI complete the triad, ensuring assured second-strike capability.

According to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI), India’s nuclear warhead stockpile stood at around 180 as of early 2025.

At the conventional level, BrahMos remains the cornerstone of precision strike. This Indo-Russian supersonic cruise missile—Mach 3 speeds, ranges up to 800 km in extended variants, and multi-platform launch capability (land, sea, air)—excelled in Operation Sindoor, evading defences and striking decisively. Its export success, including deliveries to the Philippines in 2025, signals global confidence in its performance.

India’s arsenal extends beyond strike weapons. Complementary systems include the subsonic Nirbhay cruise missile (1,000 km range), air-to-air Astra, Pinaka multi-barrel rocket systems for area saturation up to 120 km, and the tactical Pralay. Indigenous anti-submarine warfare has been bolstered by Varunastra heavyweight torpedoes, addressing undersea vulnerabilities in the Indian Ocean.

Defensive capabilities have advanced in parallel. In July, Akash Prime demonstrated effectiveness against high-speed aerial targets at high altitudes in Ladakh, validating operations in challenging terrain. Akash-NG extends range to 70 km, while integrated networks like Akash Teer enable faster response times. The imported S-400 “Sudarshan Chakra,” with multiple regiments deployed since its 2018 contract, provides long-range coverage (300–400 km) against aircraft, cruise missiles, and select ballistic threats. It complements indigenous layers, including Barak-8 (MRSAM) for medium-range protection across land and sea.

This comprehensive ecosystem—spanning ballistic and cruise missiles, air defence, torpedoes, and rockets—stems from sustained investment in self-reliance. Looking ahead, DRDO is progressing next-generation technologies: longer-range SLBMs like K-5 (5,000–6,000 km) and K-6 (potentially up to 8,000 km, with hypersonic features), with component tests underway and trials planned for the coming years. Hypersonic glide vehicles and anti-radiation missiles such as Rudram-II further promise enhanced deterrence. Discussions on advanced systems like Russia’s S-500 continue, while Project Kusha drives indigenous long-range air defence development.

By early 2026, India has transitioned from testing to operational integration, informed by real experience. From the precision of Operation Sindoor to the strategic reach of Agni and layered defences anchored by Akash and S-400, the missile programme has matured multifold. While global leaders like the United States and Russia maintain larger arsenals and advanced hypersonic projectiles, India’s emphasis on indigenous, cost-effective systems and seamless integration establishes it as a formidable regional power with expanding global influence—exemplified by BrahMos exports. In substance rather than spectacle, 2025 marked the year India’s missile power truly came of age.