India successfully test-fired its local-made nuclear-capable Agni-II strategic ballistic missile 09.

Agni-II Intermediate Range Ballistic Missile (IRBM) has already been inducted into the services and today's test was carried out by the specially formed Strategic Forces Command of the Army as part of training exercise with logistic support provided by the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), the officials said.

The Agni-II is a medium range ballistic missile (MRBM) with two solid fuel stages and a Post Boost Vehicle (PBV) integrated into the missile's Re-entry Vehicle (RV).

The Agni-II missile is 20 m in length with a diameter of 1.3 m in the first and second stages. The missile can carry a warhead weighing up to 1,000 kg. The Agni-2 can be fitted with 150 or 200 kT yield nuclear warheads, in addition to chemical, high-explosive, and submunitions versions. Fully loaded, the missile has a maximum range of 2,000 km, though if carrying a reduced payload, it can achieve a range of 3,500 km.

The Agni-2’s main strength is its relatively high accuracy, especially at close range, due to its combination of an INS/GPS guidance module and dual-frequency radar correlation. The third stage uses four moving control fins in order to maneuver independently during the terminal phase, though newer models may use side thrust motors instead. It has been reported to have an accuracy of 40 m CEP. 4

The Agni-2 underwent its first flight test in April 1999 from Wheeler’s Island in the Bay of Bengal. The test was conducted from a rail-car TEL. In 2001, the Agni-2 was tested from a road TEL. A third test, from a rail-car TEL, was made in August 2004. 5 By the end of 2001, less than five Agni-2 missiles were operational, but their production rate from 2001-present is expected to be around 10 missiles per year. The missiles are operated by the 335 Missile Group at Secunderabad using 12 TEL vehicles.