ICBM launch? NOTAM issued restricting airspace over Bay of Bengal from May 6 to 9; BJP says ‘Agni-6’ ready ‘to make history’

NEW DELHI: India has issued a Notice to Airmen (NOTAM) -- which serves to inform pilots of conditions that affect flight safety -- restricting airspace over Bay of Bengal from May 6 to 9, covering a corridor of approximately 3,560 km from Abdul Kalam Island off Odisha coast.

Coming as it does just days after Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) chairman Samir V Kamath said that the R&D agency was ready to test India’s first 10,000km-plus-range intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) ‘Agni-6’ and was only awaiting govt’s permission, this has raised expectations of the ICBM’s testing going through.

On Wednesday, BJP dropped a big hint over the issue. In a post on its official account on X, the party said, “Agni-6: India marching towards becoming a superpower! With a strike range of 10,000+ km and MIRV technology, Agni-6 is ready to make history. This missile will make India's security impregnable and place us in the league of the world's most powerful nations. Powerful India, Secure India!”

BJP also uploaded a video in which it explained that till now, only “five countries have the power of intercontinental ballistic missiles: America, Russia, China, France and Britain. Now, India is going to strengthen its position in the same league. Agni-6 is India’s next-generation missile....With the strike power of long distance, India’s reach is not only going to be regional but also going to be more global”.



Multiple Independently Targetable Re-entry Vehicle (MIRV) technology allows a single ballistic missile to deliver multiple nuclear warheads to different, distinct targets, enhancing strike capability and overcoming missile defences.

India had recently also conducted the second flight-test of a Long Range Anti-Ship Hypersonic Missile (LR-AShM) with a strike range of above 1500 km and maximum speed of Mach 10.