India test fires n-capable Agni II

Bhubaneswar: India Friday successfully test-fired the nuclear capable Agni-II strategic ballistic missile from a defense base in Orissa.

This is the third Indian missile test this week, a hat-trick of sorts, after the successful launches of Shaurya and Prithvi-II missiles, last Saturday and Monday, respectively.

The surface-to-surface missile, with a range of over 2,000 km, was test fired in Bhadrak district, said SP Dash, director of the Integrated Test Range at Wheeler’s Island, about 200 km from here.

“It was a perfect launch,” Dash told IANS. He added that the missile was tested at about 9.30 am.

The launch of the missile was postponed on August 29 due to a technical snag.

The Agni-II is part of India’s Integrated Guided Missile Development Program.

“The medium-range missile, already inducted and part of Strategic Forces arsenal for nuclear deterrence, was launched as a training exercise by the armed forces,” a Defence Research and Development Organization (DRDO) release said.

The two-stage missile, equipped with an advanced high-accuracy navigation system and guided by a novel state-of-the-art command and control system, is powered by a solid rocket propellant system.

“The missile reached an apogee (peak altitude) of 220 km and hit the target. All the radar, telemetry systems and ectopic system tracked and monitored all parameters throughout the missile’s trajectory. Two ships located near the target point tracked the missile in the final stage,” the DRDO release said.

DRDO first tested the Agni-II in 1999. However, the Strategic Forces Command which operates the missile, could test it only May 17, 2010 after two successive failures in 2009.

The failed tests did not meet the mission’s desired objectives as on both the occasions the missile lost speed and deviated from its flight path.

“Today’s successful launch once again proved reliability of the missile,” the DRDO said.