India test-fires medium range nuclear missile

The trial of the surface-to-surface missile was conducted from a mobile launcher from the Launch Complex-4 of Integrated Test Range (ITR) at around 8.48am, defence sources said.Describing the launch as a complete success, ITR Director MVKV Prasad said, All mission parameters were met during the trial of the indigenously developed missile.Agni-II Intermediate Range Ballistic Missile (IRBM) has already been inducted into the services and today’s test was carried out by the Strategic Forces Command (SFC) of the Army with logistic support provided by the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO).The 2000km range versatile missile, already inducted and part of countries arsenal for strategic deterrence, was launched as a training exercise by the armed forces, a DRDO scientist said.The 20-metre long Agni-II is a two-stage, solid-propelled ballistic missile. It has a launch weight of 17 tonnes and can carry a payload of 1000kg over a distance of 2000km.The state-of-the-art Agni-II missile was developed by Advanced Systems Laboratory along with other DRDO laboratories and integrated by the Bharat Dynamics Limited (BDL), Hyderabad, the sources said.Agni-II is part of the Agni series of missiles which includes Agni-I with a 700km range, Agni-III with a 3,000km range, Agni-IV and Agni-V.The first prototype of Agni-II missile was carried out on April 11, 1999.