Agni-1, the strategic ballistic missile, was once again flight tested today. The Strategic Forces Command of the Indian Army launched the missile from a road mobile launcher system around 9.30 hrs from the test range at Wheeler Island off the coast of Odisha.
The missile, with a strike range of 700 km, successfully reached the target point in the Bay of Bengal. It was tracked along the coastline by naval ships and tracking devices, said defence officials.
The test is part of ongoing user exercises. It has been already inducted into the Indian Army which has raised a special corps to deploy and launch the missile. The Army is undertaking such trials periodically for training purposes.
Agni-1, a 15-metre-long missile, has the capability to carry both conventional and nuclear warheads up to 1000 kg. The short range missile in the Agni class (Agni has four missiles ranging from 700 km to the latest 3,500 km, Agni-IV) has been developed by the Hyderabad-based Advanced Systems Laboratory and produced by Bharat Dynamics Ltd, also in Hyderabad.
The test met the desired mission parameters, said officials of the Defence Research and Development Organisation, which provided the necessary technical and logistic support to the user from the test range.