Article Posted on : - Sep 30, 2011

A file photo.

BALASORE, ORISSA (PTI): India on Friday successfully test-fired its nuclear-capable Agni-II ballistic missile, having a strike range of 2000 km, as part of user trial by the Army from the Wheeler Island off Orissa coast.

"The trial of the surface-to-surface missile, conducted from Launch complex-IV of the Integrated Test Range (ITR) at about 0930 hrs, was fully successful," ITR Director S P Dash said.

The indigenously developed missile was fired by personnel of the Strategic Forces Command (SFC) of the Army as part of a user trial, defence sources said, adding the mission objectives were met during the test.

Developed as one of the key weapon systems of India's nuclear deterrence programme, Agni-II is already under production and has been inducted in the Indian Armed Forces.

The two-stage solid fuel propelled Agni-II missile, developed by Advanced System Laboratory (ASL) and other DRDO laboratories, has a length of 20 metres, diameter of one metre and weighs around 17 tonnes, they said.

It is equipped with a special navigation system to achieve high degree of accuracy. The system is also equipped with anti-ballistic defence counter measures. It can be transported both by rail and road, they said.

The last trial scheduled on August 29 this year was aborted due to some technical problem.

A user trial of the missile conducted on May 17 last year from the same base was successful.