Agni II successfully test fired

“The trial of the surface-to-surface missile was conducted from a mobile launcher from the Launch Complex-4 of Integrated Test Range (ITR) at around 8.48am" defence sources said. Describing the launch as a complete success, ITR director MVKV Prasad said, “All mission parameters were met during the trial of the indigenously developed missile."

The two-stage missile equipped with advanced high accuracy navigation system, guided by state-of-the-art command & control system was propelled by solid rocket propellant system, he said.

The entire trajectory of the trial was tracked by a battery of sophisticated radars, telemetry observation stations, electro-optic instruments and naval ships located near the impact point in the down range area of the sea.

The 20-metre long Agni-II is a two-stage, solid-propelled ballistic missile. It has a launch weight of 17 tonnes and can carry a payload of 1000 kg over a distance of 2000km.

The state-of-the-art Agni-II missile was developed by Advanced Systems Laboratory along with other DRDO laboratories and integrated by the Bharat Dynamics Limited (BDL), Hyderabad, the sources said.

Agni-II is part of the Agni series of missiles which includes Agni-I with a 700km range, Agni-III with a 3,000km range, Agni-IV and Agni-V.

The first prototype of Agni-II missile was carried out on 11 April 1999. Though trial conducted on 19 May 2009 and the first night trial on 23 November 2009 from Wheelers Island could not meet all the parameters, all other trials including the last one carried out on 30 September 2011 from the same base were successful. PTI

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