India successfully test-fired Agni-III nuclear-capable surface-to-surface ballistic missile 2312135.

Defence & Security News - India

India on Monday, December 23, 2013, successfully test-fired nuclear weapons capable Agni-III surface-to-surface ballistic missile for its full range of little over 3,000 km from the Wheeler island, off the Odisha coast. As part of user training, the two-stage, solid propelled missile was fired from a rail mobile launcher by the personnel of Strategic Forces Command at 4.58 p.m. after the weapon system was picked up randomly from the production lot.

According to V.G.Sekaran, Director-General (Missiles and Strategic Systems), Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), the mission was a "great success" and showed that the whole system has matured. Stating that it was a text-book launch, he said the missile closed in on the pre-designated target point in the Bay of Bengal and the accuracy was in the range of 100-200 metres.

The missile reached an altitude of 380 km and withstood searing temperatures as it re-entered the atmosphere and impacted the target point after flying for about 800 seconds.

The entire performance of the missile was tracked in real time by radars, telemetry stations and electro-optical network along the coast and the terminal event was recorded by two down range ships near the target point.

Equipped with an indigenously-built advanced navigation system to ensure high degree of accuracy, Agni-III has already been inducted into the services and is capable of carrying a payload of 1.5 tonnes to distance of 3,000 km.