India Completes Agni-I Nuclear-Capable Missile Test

India has test fired home-made nuclear capable Agni-I missile that can hit target from a distance of 700kms.

The missile was launched from off the Odisha coast as a part of Strategic Forces Command (SF) training centre, NDTV reported today.

The surface-to-surface, single-stage missile, was powered by solid propellants. It was test-fired from a mobile launcher at 1002 hours from launch pad-4 of the Integrated Test Range (ITR) at Abdul Kalam Island (Wheeler Island).

The trial was "part of training exercise by Strategic Forces Command of Indian Army", defence officials said. "The exercise was conducted in a perfect manner and the trial was successful," they said.

"The launch was undertaken as a part of periodic training activity by SFC to further consolidate operational readiness," the sources said.

The trajectory of the trial was tracked by a battery of sophisticated radars, telemetry observation stations, electro- optic instruments and naval ships from its launch till the missile hit the target area with accuracy.

Agni-I missile is equipped with sophisticated navigation system which ensures it reaches the target with a high degree of precision.

The missile, which has already been inducted into armed forces, weighs 12 tonnes. The 15-metre-long missile is designed to carry a payload of more than one tonne. Moreover, its strike range can be extended by reducing the payload.

Agni-I was developed by Advanced Systems Laboratory, the premier missile development laboratory of DRDO in collaboration with Defence Research Development Laboratory and Research Centre Imarat and integrated by Bharat Dynamics Limited, Hyderabad.

The last trial of Agni-I, conducted on September 11, 2014 from the same base.