BALASORE: The Strategic Forces Command (SFC) of Indian Army is all
set to carry out a fresh user trial of 700-km range nuclear capable
missile Agni-I from a defence base off the Odisha coast on Thursday.
The missile was earlier planned to be tested on Wednesday.
Defence sources said as the missile has already been inducted in the armed forces, this will be a limited stock production (LSP) test for which the missile has been randomly selected from a bunch of missiles. The test will be
conducted from the Wheeler Island test facility of the Integrated Test Range (ITR).
While preparation has been completed for the test, heavy security arrangements also have been made along the sea coast. This test will reconfirm the technical parameters set for the user (Army), said a defence scientist associated with the programme. There were considerable improvements in its re-entry technology and manoeuvrability since Agni's first trial.
“The missile with full operational configuration and dummy warhead will be fired from the launching complex-IV of the ITR in between 9 am to 12 noon,” informed a source.
Commander-in-Chief of SFC Lieutenant General Amit Sharma is expected to witness the launch from mission control room set up at the Island. After visiting Puri on Wednesday, he is slated to land at Dhamra at about 9 am on Thursday.
Apart from him, Scientific Advisor to defence Minister and DRDO Chief Avinash Chander is also expected to witness the test firing.
The Agni-I is an antiquated short-range and surface based ballistic missile in the Agni series. It has a strike range of 700-900 km. Compared it its longer-range cousins, its height is just 15 metres and it is powered by both solid and liquid propellants, which imparts it a speed of 2.5 km per second. This missile was first test-fired on January 25, 2002 and since then several trails have been conducted.
It is designed to bridge the gap between indigenously built short-range Prithvi, already deployed in the army, and medium range Agni-II that has a range of more than 2,000 km. The DRDO had launched the Agni project in 1983 as part of the country's Integrated Guided Missile Development Programme (IGMDP).
Defence sources said as the missile has already been inducted in the armed forces, this will be a limited stock production (LSP) test for which the missile has been randomly selected from a bunch of missiles. The test will be
conducted from the Wheeler Island test facility of the Integrated Test Range (ITR).
While preparation has been completed for the test, heavy security arrangements also have been made along the sea coast. This test will reconfirm the technical parameters set for the user (Army), said a defence scientist associated with the programme. There were considerable improvements in its re-entry technology and manoeuvrability since Agni's first trial.
“The missile with full operational configuration and dummy warhead will be fired from the launching complex-IV of the ITR in between 9 am to 12 noon,” informed a source.
Commander-in-Chief of SFC Lieutenant General Amit Sharma is expected to witness the launch from mission control room set up at the Island. After visiting Puri on Wednesday, he is slated to land at Dhamra at about 9 am on Thursday.
Apart from him, Scientific Advisor to defence Minister and DRDO Chief Avinash Chander is also expected to witness the test firing.
The Agni-I is an antiquated short-range and surface based ballistic missile in the Agni series. It has a strike range of 700-900 km. Compared it its longer-range cousins, its height is just 15 metres and it is powered by both solid and liquid propellants, which imparts it a speed of 2.5 km per second. This missile was first test-fired on January 25, 2002 and since then several trails have been conducted.
It is designed to bridge the gap between indigenously built short-range Prithvi, already deployed in the army, and medium range Agni-II that has a range of more than 2,000 km. The DRDO had launched the Agni project in 1983 as part of the country's Integrated Guided Missile Development Programme (IGMDP).
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