For first time ever, DRDO successfully conducts Agni II missile’s night trial

New Delhi, November 18: Levelling up India’s defence capabilities, adding up to the many firsts, India’s strategic forces command carried out a successful night trial of the Agni-II, a nuclear-capable surface-to-surface missile. This Agni-II can hit targets up to 1,500km away and is seen as among the mainstay weapons in India’s arsenal.

 

The Strategic Forces Command of the Indian Army test-fired the versatile surface-to-surface medium-range nuclear-capable missile from launching complex IV of the Integrated Test Range on Saturday evening.

Developed by the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), the missile has already been inducted into the armed forces. The 20-metre long, two stage ballistic missile has a strike range of 2,000 km. It has a launch weight of 17 tonnes and can carry a payload of 1,000 kg.

The trajectory of the trial was tracked by a battery of sophisticated radars, telemetry observation stations, electro-optic instruments and two naval ships located near the impact point in the down range area of Bay of Bengal. The two-stage missile equipped with advanced high accuracy navigation system, was guided by a novel state-of-the-art command and control system and propelled by solid rocket propellant system.

Saturday’s test was carried out by the specially formed Strategic Forces Command (SFC) of the Army with logistic support from the DRDO. ‘Agni-11’ is part of the Agni series of missiles which includes Agni-I with a 700 km range, Agni-III with a 3,000 km range, Agni-IV and Agni-V both having long range capabilities.