India on December 12 successfully test-fired nuclear-capable,
surface-to-surface Agni-1 ballistic missile for its full range of 700 km
from the Wheeler Island, off Odisha.
The single-stage, solid-propelled missile was launched by the personnel
of the Strategic Forces Command at 8.15 a.m. from a road mobile
launcher. The entire operation was supervised by Defence Research and
Development Organisation's missile technologists, who described the
mission as a success and said that all the objectives were met.
Soon after its launch, the home-grown missile splashed down near the
pre-designated target area in the Bay of Bengal with a high degree of
accuracy as the radars along the coast and naval ship located down range
tracked its flight path and recorded the terminal event.
The 15-metre-tall missile was picked up from the production lot for
conducting the test-firing as part of regular exercise for the SFC
personnel. Agni-1 weighs 12 tonnes and is capable of carrying a nuclear
warhead of one tonne. The missile was developed following the Kargil
conflict after the defence services perceived the need for such a
version and has already been inducted into the Army.
Top DRDO scientists and Army officials were present to witness the
mission. The SFC personnel carried out a successful launch of the same
missile in July this year.
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