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Monday, April 8, 2013

Agni-II ballistic missile


India successfully test-fires


BHUBANESWAR: India on Sunday successfully test-fired nuclear capable intermediate-range ballistic missile (IRBM) Agni-II from Wheeler's Island off Odisha coast, defence sources said.

"The two-stage vehicle, launched from a mobile launcher, met all the mission objectives. Radars and electro-optical tracking systems located all along have tracked and monitored all the parameters of the vehicle," Ravi Kumar Gupta, director (Public Interface) of Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) said in a statement.

Defence sources said Strategic Forces Command (SFC) of the Indian Army with logistic support provided by DRDO conducted the 'training trial' of the strategic ballistic missile in a real time situation. 'The main objective of the trial was to impart training to the forces as part of a regular exercise of the SFC, especially since Agni II has already been inducted into the forces, sources added.

The 20-metre long Agni-II is a solid-propelled ballistic missile, with a launch weight of 16 tonnes. The surface-to-surface missile can carry a payload of 1,000 kg. The 2500-km range missile was first tested on April 11, 1999, from a converted rail carriage that slides open to allow it to be raised to the vertical for launch by two large hydraulic pistons. The missile was inducted in the armed forces in 2004.

The missile is equipped with a state-of-the-art navigation system with modern techniques for propelling it towards the designated target with accuracy. It takes only 15 minutes to bring the missile into ready-to-fire mode.

Agni-II missile is part of the Integrated Guided Missile Development Programme ( IGMDP). Other missiles in series include 700-km range Agni-I, 3000-km range Agni-III, 3500-km range Agni-IV and 5000-km range Agni-V. While Agni-I and Agni-II have been inducted into the forces, the other three are in developmental trial stages.

 

 

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