Agni-I missile was successfully test-fired from the Integrated Test Range on the Wheeler Island off the Odisha coast at 10.08 a.m. on Tuesday by the Strategic Forces of Command (SFC). The missile is capable of carrying a nuclear warhead weighing 500 kg. In this mission, it carried a dummy warhead.
G. Satheesh Reddy, Scientific Advisor to the Defence Minister; and Director-General, Missile & Strategic Systems, DRDO, and other top officers of the SFC were present during the launch. The DRDO designed and developed the Agni-I, which is a single stage missile that weighs 12 tonnes and is 15 metres long. It has a range of 750 km.
The entire flight lasted about 10 minutes, with the missile reaching its targeted area in the Bay of Bengal.
PTI adds:
The trajectory of the trial was tracked by a battery of radars, telemetry observation stations, electro-optic instruments and naval ships from its launch till it hit the target area with accuracy.
Agni-I is equipped with a navigation system which ensures that it reaches the target with a high degree of accuracy and precision.
The missile, which has already been inducted into the armed forces, has proved its excellent performance in terms of range, accuracy and lethality. The last trial of Agni-I was conducted successfully on March 14, 2016 from the same base.
