India, on Saturday, successfully test-fired the Agni Prime missile off the coast of Odisha in Balasore. This was said by the government officials.
Agni-P is a new generation advanced variant of the Agni class of missiles. It is a two-stage canisterised missile. The range capability of this missile is between 1,000 and 2,000 km.
This was the second test of the Agni Prime missile. The test was conducted at 11 am off the APJ Abdul Kalam Island in Balasore. An ANI report said a lot of new features have been added to the nuclear-capable strategic Agni Prime missile during this test.
“The Agni Prime missile test met all its mission objectives with a high level of accuracy,” one of the news reporters captured an official quoting the same. The first test was carried out successfully on June 28 at the same place. It was off the coast of Odisha in Balasore.
Defence minister Rajnath Singh congratulated the Defence and Research Development Organisation (DRDO). He did it for the successful flight test. He also expressed his happiness over the system’s performance over the Agni Prime missile.
“Test carried out by DRDO at 11.06 am. Telemetry, radar, electro-optical stations and downrange ships positioned along the eastern coast tracked and monitored missile trajectory and parameters. Agni Prime missile followed textbook trajectory, meeting all mission objectives with a high level of accuracy,” the DRDO said in a statement.
The ballistic missile weighs 50 per cent less than Agni 3. It also has the feature which allows it to be launched from rail and road. Scientists can also store it for a longer period. They can also transport it all across the country as per operational requirements.
On December 7, the country successfully test-fired the air version of the Brah Mos supersonic cruise missile. The ministry of defence described this as a ‘major milestone’ in Brah Mos development.
The ministry had said the missile was successfully test-fired from Indian Air Force’s (IAF) Sukhoi 30 MKI supersonic fighter aircraft from the Integrated Test Range (ITR). This place is in Chandipur, off the coast of Odisha.
Around the same time, the Vertically Launched Short Range Surface to Air Missile (VL-SRSAM) was successfully test-fired. It happened from the Integrated Test Range (ITR) in Chandipur.
According to Defence Research and Development Organisation officials (DRDO), the air defence system can engage targets at around 15km. The VL-SRSAM is indigenously designed and developed by the DRDO. It is for the Indian Navy. It is meant for neutralising various aerial threats at close ranges, including sea-skimming targets, the organisation said.
