India successfully carried out a fresh user trial of 3,000 kilometre range Agni-III ballistic missile from Abdul Kalam Island off Odisha coast today. The Strategic Forces Command with logistics support from Defence Research Development Organisation (DRDO) carried out the test from launch pad No. 4 of the Integrated Test Range.
Defence sources said the test was aimed at re-establishing the operational effectiveness of the weapon system.
The Agni-III, capable of carrying both conventional and nuclear warheads weighing up to 1.5 tonnes, is 17 metres tall with a two-metre diameter and weighs about 48 tonnes. DRDO sources said, the sleek missile, already inducted into the armed forces in June 2011, is equipped with hybrid navigation, guidance and control systems along with advanced on-board computer. The missile has a two-stage solid propellant system. It can re-enter the atmosphere at a very high velocity.
Agni-III is a rail mobile system capable missile and can be launched from anywhere giving the country intermediate range ballistic missile firepower and greatly extending its power projection in the region.