Agni-V, India’s longest-range, nuclear-weapons-capable
surface-to-surface ballistic missile, will be tested from Wheeler Island
in Odisha around September 15.
According to a top official at the Defence Research and Development
Organisation (DRDO), preparations were under way for the second
developmental trial of the 5,000-km-range missile. The maiden flight
test carried out on April 19 last was a stupendous success and injected
India into a group of select nations that possessed the technology for
developing Inter-Continental Ballistic Missiles (ICBMs).
The September 15 exercise would be a repeat test to demonstrate the
capabilities of the missile, said the official. Another three or four
tests will be conducted before the system is inducted into the Armed
Forces around 2015.
According to another official, DRDO missile technologists had moved to
Wheeler Island and begun to conduct phase checks for the missile. Two
ships have sailed into the Indian Ocean and will be positioned near a
predesignated target point.
High accuracy
The strategic three-stage, solid-fuelled missile is equipped with
advanced technologies — besides a ring laser gyro-based inertial
navigation system (RINS) and a redundant micro-navigation system (MINS).
It will also be carrying a multiple telemetry system. The RINS and MINS
would enable the missile to cover a long distance with a high degree of
accuracy, the official said.
The 17-metre-long missile has been designed to carry a payload of 1,000 kg over a distance of more than 5,000 km.
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