BHUBANESWAR: The Strategic Forces Command (SFC) of Indian Army on Wednesday successfully conducted a fresh night trial of intermediate range nuclear-capable ballistic missile Agni III from a defence test facility off Odisha coast.
The Made-in-India surface-to-surface missile carrying a dummy payload blasted off from an auto-launcher at Abdul Kalam Island in full operational configuration at about 7.30 pm. This was the second night trial of Agni-III after a failed attempt in 2019.
The test was considered ‘very crucial’ as it was to reconfirm the technical parameters set for the user and its readiness to handle the weapon during night hours. The flight trajectory of the missile was set for the full range. The Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) provided all logistic support.
A defence scientist said the test proved the reliability of the weapon and reconfirmed the army’s operational readiness. The missile can be fired anytime and in any terrain in short notice. All the radars, electro-optical systems located along the coast have tracked and monitored all the parameters of the missile throughout the flight path, he said.
Developed by DRDO, Agni III has already been inducted in the armed forces in 2011. Propelled by two-stage solid propellant, it is capable of carrying both conventional and nuclear warheads weighing up to 1.5 tonne. The missile is 17 metre tall and has a diameter of two-metre. It weighs around 50 tonne.
The missile used in the test was picked up randomly from the production lot. Equipped with state-of-the-art avionics, advanced on-board computer, the missile has the latest features to guide in-flight disturbances.
“The successful test was part of routine user training launches by the SFC. The launch was carried out for a predetermined range and validated all operational parameters of the weapon system,” the Ministry of Defence said in a statement.