India test fires nuclear-capable Agni-III missile
IRNA - Islamic Republic News Agency
New Delhi, Feb 7, IRNA -- India on Sunday successfully test fired long-range nuclear capable Agni-III missile from the Inner Wheeler Island at Dhamra, a launch site in Bhadrak district, about 200 km from Orissa capital Bhubaneswar.
The indigenous, 3000-km range missile is capable of carrying warheads weighing up to 1.5 tons, said the defence sources.
This is the fourth test of the missile. The first test, from the same defence base on July 9, 2006, was unsuccessful. The second stage of the rocket had failed to separate from the missile quickly enough and the missile had fallen short of its target.
The Defence Research and Development Organization (DRDO)-developed missile was tested again on April 12, 2007, and May 9, 2008, respectively and both the tests were successful.
Agni-III, one of the Agni series missiles, is a two-stage solid propellant missile with a length of 17 mt, diameter 2 mt and launch weight of 50 tons.
While Agni-I is a 750-800 km short-range missile, Agni-II has a range of more than 1,500 km. Both have already been inducted into the armed forces.
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End News / IRNA / News Code 947405
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