NEW DELHI, Dec 18: The Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) on Saturday successfully tested the new generation nuclear-capable ballistic missile Agni Prime from APJ Abdul Kalam Island off the coast of Odisha. This is the second time the missile was tested this year after June.
The government mentioned in a statement that various telemetry, radar, electro-optical stations and down range ships positioned along the eastern coast tracked and monitored the missile trajectory and parameters and the missile “followed text book trajectory meeting all mission objectives with high level of accuracy.”
The missile is a “two-stage canisterised solid propellant ballistic missile with dual redundant navigation and guidance system,” the statement mentioned, adding that this “second flight-test has proven the reliable performance of all the advanced technologies integrated into the system.”
It is a new generation advanced variant of Agni class of missiles with range capability between 1,000 and 2,000 km. Agni V, India’s longest-range ballistic missile, has a range of nearly 5,000 km.
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh congratulated DRDO for the successful flight test and expressed his happiness for the excellent performance of the system, the statement mentioned.
(Manas Dasgupta)