In reaction to recent international military actions and changing regional security threats, India is in fact creating its own bunker buster missile capability, which is a major strategic advancement. In contrast to India’s customary nuclear-focused missile development, the Defence Research and Development Organization (DRDO) is now developing a modified Agni-V intercontinental ballistic missile that can carry massive conventional bunker-buster warheads (also known as Massive Ordnance Penetrator).
With its remarkable characteristics, the improved Agni-V bunker buster is a significant engineering endeavor. The missile will be equipped with one of the most potent conventional warheads in the world, weighing between 7,500 and 8,000 kg. Compared to the US GBU-57A/B Massive Ordnance Penetrator, which weighs over 2,400 kilograms, this enormous payload is more than three times larger.
The weapon can be used against heavily protected subterranean targets because it is made to reach 80 to 100 meters underground before detonating. The bunker buster variant of the Agni-V will have a shorter range of 2,500 kilometers to accommodate the heavier payload, whereas the original Agni-V has a range of over 5,000 kilometers. The missile is anticipated to achieve hypersonic speeds between Mach 8 and Mach 20, making it a hypersonic weapon even with this range restriction.
To meet various tactical needs, the DRDO is creating two unique versions of the improved Agni-V. Airbases, military convoys, and radar sites can all be neutralized with the first variant’s airburst warhead, which explodes above ground targets to produce strong shock waves and scatter high-velocity shards over wide surface regions.
The second version is the deep-penetrating bunker buster warhead, which is designed to explode at considerable depths underground after burrowing through reinforced concrete. Command and control centers, missile silos, nuclear storage facilities, and other vital military infrastructure hidden beneath protective layers are the targets of this configuration.
India’s air force capabilities are fundamentally limited, which is why it has decided to create a missile-delivered bunker buster. India has no dedicated strategic bomber aircraft, unlike the United States, which has B-2 Spirit and B-52 Stratofortress strategic bombers that can deliver the GBU-57 Massive Ordnance Penetrator. Such large bunker buster weapons cannot be carried by the IAF’s present fleet, which is mainly made up of multi-role jets like the Su-30MKI and Rafale.
It has been determined that this capacity gap is a serious strategic weakness. India’s capacity to carry out long-range, high-impact attacks on strongly fortified targets, especially in contested airspace, is restricted by the lack of strategic bombers. India avoids the need for costly bomber aircraft while accomplishing comparable strategic goals by creating a missile-delivered bunker buster.
Comparing the missile-based strategy to conventional bomber-delivered systems reveals a number of benefits. Each GBU-57 bomb costs about $20 million, whereas a single B-2 Spirit bomber costs over $2.2 billion. Compared to keeping a pricey fleet of strategic bombers, India’s missile-delivered system offers more flexibility, cost-effectiveness, and quick reaction time.
The Agni-V’s road-mobile, cannisterized launch mechanism allows for quick deployment and tactical adaptability, enabling Indian forces to hit targets from a variety of places without the need for specialized airbases or substantial logistical support.
The significance of deep-strike capabilities has been brought to light by recent military operations in India. In reaction to the Pahalgam terrorist incident, India launched precise strikes against Pakistani military sites in May 2025 as part of Operation Sindoor. The action showed India’s increasing precision-strike skills and readiness to carry out cross-border operations, even though Indian officials specifically denied hitting the nuclear site in Pakistan’s Kirana Hills.
The strategic significance of bunker buster capabilities was highlighted by the Kirana Hills issue. According to reports, Pakistan’s subterranean tunnels and nuclear storage facilities are located in Kirana Hills, making it a potentially valuable target that would need deep-penetration weapons to successfully destroy.
India will have previously unheard-of capabilities to target missile silos, command and control centers, and vital military facilities in China and Pakistan with the new Agni-V bunker buster variants. With an emphasis on the Indo-Pacific area, where China’s military buildup is causing increasing concerns, the 2,500-kilometer range encompasses the majority of important targets in Pakistan as well as sizable chunks of Chinese territory.
The weapon’s precision guiding system, which includes NavIC/GPS augmentation and ring laser gyroscopes, guarantees accuracy with a circle error likely of less than 10 meters, which is essential for taking out valuable subterranean targets.
With the addition of conventional precision-strike capabilities against hardened targets, India’s strategic doctrine has undergone a dramatic change, going beyond traditional nuclear deterrence. Operation Sindoor, which established a “new normal” in India’s counterterrorism response and showed a readiness to carry out deep-strike operations, is the model that this evolution follows.
But the arrival of such potent conventional weapons also calls into doubt South Asia’s geopolitical stability. The capacity to destroy subterranean nuclear storage sites or command centers may reduce the threshold for starting a fight while also making it more difficult for adversaries to make decisions.
There are many technological obstacles in the way of creating a bunker buster missile that works. For the warhead to pierce reinforced concrete and dirt before detonating at exact depths, it must be designed with hardened casings and sophisticated guidance systems. Advanced propulsion technologies and complex heat-resistant materials are necessary to meet the missile’s hypersonic speed requirements.
The bunker buster variant is based on the Agni-V’s three-stage solid-fuel design and substantial use of composite materials to minimize weight. However, significant changes must be made to the original design in order to accommodate the large conventional warhead while preserving accuracy and range.
The rapid development in the wake of recent world events indicates that India considers this capacity critical, even though precise deployment timetables are still under wraps. The bunker buster variant is well-founded on the DRDO’s vast expertise with the Agni-V program, which successfully tested and came into action in 2018.
India’s strategic capabilities have advanced significantly with the development of the Agni-V bunker buster missile, which fills important deep-strike capacity gaps and counters new regional threats. The project offers traditional alternatives to nuclear escalation in future conflicts, demonstrating India’s dedication to domestic defense development and strategic autonomy.
India’s deterrence posture and operational flexibility will be significantly improved by the missile’s enormous conventional warhead, hypersonic speed, and deep penetration capabilities. Though it necessitates careful consideration of escalation dynamics and arms control implications, the arrival of such potent conventional weapons also adds new aspects to regional strategic stability.
India’s bunker buster capacity is both a technological accomplishment and a strategic response to the demands of 21st-century warfare, as regional security issues and global military technology continue to develop. The program’s success will probably have an impact on South Asia’s future strategic planning and help to continue transforming the region’s conventional warfare capabilities.
