India Today
Bhubaneswar: India on Friday successfully test-fired the indigenously built nuclear-capable Agni-I missile from the Abdul Kalam Island off the Odisha coast.
Agni-I was developed by Advanced Systems Laboratory, the premier missile development laboratory of DRDO in collaboration with Defence Research Development Laboratory and Research Centre Imarat and integrated by Bharat Dynamics Limited, Hyderabad.
The surface-to-surface Prithvi-II missile is capable of carrying 500 kg to 1,000 kg of warheads and is thrusted by liquid propulsion twine engines.
The data of the missile launch, conducted by the Strategic Force Command (SFC), has shown positive results, said a defense forces source.
It has been created to operate with both liquid and solid fuels and is capable of carrying both conventional and nuclear payloads.
The trajectory of the trial was tracked by a battery of sophisticated radars, telemetry observation stations, electro- optic instruments and naval ships from its launch till the missile hit the target area with accuracy, they said. They monitored the splashdown and the terminal events.
The last user trial of Prithvi-II was successfully conducted on February 19, 2015 from the same test range in Odisha.
The Indian government had launched the Integrated Guided Missile Development Program in 1983 with the view making the country self-sufficient in terms of development and production of wide range of Ballistic Missiles, Surface to Air Missiles and more.
