If the nuclear-capable Agni V mission has signaled the arrival of India as a missile power, the world's largest democracy is hoping its next multiple-warhead variant will upgrade the country's strategic posture from dissuasion to credible deterrence against China. Two successful tests of its 5,000-km (3,106-mi.)-range Agni-V missile have paved the way for India to venture into a longer-range intercontinental nuclear-capable ballistic missile program, which will probably be officially called Agni VI.
