India tests Agni-II medium range nuclear-capable ballistic missile
India conducted a successful test flight of its Agni-II medium range nuclear-capable ballistic missile on Tuesday, February 20, media reported.
The 2,000km (1,200-mile) range missile was fired at around 8.38 am from a mobile launcher at the Integrated Test Range on Abdul Kalam Island of the Odisha coast in a training exercise carried out by the Indian Army’s Strategic Forces Command, PTI reported defence sources as saying. The Defence Research and Development Organisation provided logistic support.
The missile landed in the Bay of Bengal.
A similar test in May 2017 did not meet all the desired parameters, PTI reported.
First test fired on April 11, 1999, the 20m-long, 17 tonne two-stage solid-fuelled intermediate range ballistic missile can carry a payload of over 1,000kg and has already been inducted into the services, part of India’s strategic deterrence arsenal. It can reach all of Pakistan and parts of south and southeastern China.
Agni-II, developed by the DRDO laboratories and integrated by Bharat Dynamics, is one of the Agni series of missiles which includes the 700km-range Agni-I, 3,000km-range Agni-III and the long range Agni-IV and Agni-V.
India’s nuclear-capable Agni-V intercontinental ballistic missile was successfully tested for the fifth time on January 18, the Ministry of Defence said. India has conducted a number of other tests of missile systems in recent months. The Advanced Air Defence missile system intercepted a target ballistic missile in a test on December 28. Earlier in December, DRDO declared as successful a launch of its Akash surface-to-air missile fitted with an indigenous seeker, and in November, DRDO said it conducted a successful test flight of the indigenously developed Nirbhay long-range sub-sonic cruise missile.
