Balasore (Odisha), Nov 15 (PTI): Giving a boost to its missile programme, India today successfully test-fired a new variant of the nuclear-capable Agni ballistic missile with a strike range of 3,000 km from an island off Odisha coast.
Now christened Agni-IV, the trial of the surface-to- surface intermediate range missile from a mobile launcher at the Integrated Test Range (ITR) was a “complete success,” Defence Research Development Organisation (DRDO) spokesman Ravi Kumar Gupta told.
”The new generation missile met all mission parameters and successfully covered the 3,000 km range,” he said after the flight test at around 0900 hours from Wheeler Island, about 100 km from here. The range of missile can be boosted to 3,500 km, he said.
Earlier known as 'Agni-II Prime,' the new Agni-IV has been endowed with a whole lot of new technological features and advanced systems to ensure improved performance, Gupta said.
Agni-IV missile is a two-stage weapon system powered by solid propellant. It is 20 metres long and the launch weight is 17 tonnes. It can carry one tonne pay-load.
Earlier, developmental trial of Agni-II Prime, conducted on December 10, 2010, had failed due to some technical problems in the control system. It deviated from its trajectory within seconds of its lift-off from the same base and had plunged into the sea.
