The five things you must know about Agni-V

India is anxiously counting down to the test flight of India's first Inter Continental Ballistic Missile the Agni-V, which marks a significant chapter in the history of the DRDO. A successful launch will be a significant achievement for the Indian DRDO (Defence Research and Development Organization) which embarked upon the IGMDP (Integrated Guided Missile Development Project) in 1983 under the stewardship of then PM Indira Gandhi.[caption id="attachment_279972" align="alignleft" width="380" caption="The Agni 3 Missile on display: Reuters"][/caption]The missile will be launched at 1900 hours IST. Here are the top five facts you simply must know about the Agni-V: 1. The Agni-V is India's first Inter Continental Ballistic Missile (ICBM), and will give the country the capability to strike every country in the world apart from the United States. If successful, India will join an elite club. Only the US, Russia, France and China currently possess the capability to operate an ICBM.2. Once launched the missile cannot be stopped, and can only be launched on the direct orders of the Prime Minister. Agni V can also be launched from the road side in a special silo. 3. Agni V can carry a one-ton payload (meaning a nuclear warhead) and is configured for carrying multiple warheads which can be guided to separate targets independently.4. The Agni-V was built at a reported cost of Rs 25 billion ($486 million).5. The Agni-V will be a three-stage, all solid fuel powered, 17-metre tall missile with a range of 5,000 kilometers.