Balasore (Odisha), Feb 6: India on Friday successfully test-fired nuclear weapons-capable Agni-3 ballistic missile from the Chandipur off Odisha coast, which has a strike range of more than 3,000 kilometres, officials said.
The surface-to-surface missile was launched by the personnel of Strategic Forces Command (SFC) from a mobile launcher as part of a regular training exercise for the user.
The missile was picked up randomly from the production lot and test fired, they said adding that the SFC is tasked with handling strategic weapons systems. The launch validated all operational and technical parameters, officials said.
After the command for auto-launch was given, the two-stage solid-propelled missile took off on a designated flight path and homed onto the pre-designated target area in the Bay of Bengal with accuracy.
The Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) sources said that it met all the mission objectives.
Various parameters and trajectory of the 17-meter long missile were tracked and monitored in real time by radars along the east coast, as well as by the telemetry and electro-optical systems. Two down-range ships near the impact point recorded the terminal event, they said.
Agni-3 is one of the sophisticated and accurate missiles of its class and has already been inducted into the armed forces. It is capable of carrying a payload weighing 1.5 tons to a distance of more than 3,000 kilometres.
