By KUNA,
New Delhi : India is scheduled to test fire its longest-range nuclear capable missile “Agni III” from a defence base in the Eastern Indian state of Orissa later this week.
The missile would be tested from the the Inner Wheeler Island in Orissa’s Balasore district, Indo Asian News Service reported Tuesday, quoting a Defence Ministry source.
Agni-III, capable of carrying warheads weighing up to 1.5 tonnes, is 16 metres tall and weighs 48 tonnes. The missile could hit a target situated at a distance of up to 3,000 km, the source said.
This would be the third test of the missile, which has can hit targets as far as Beijing and Shanghai, the source added.
The missile, part of the “Agni” series of missiles, is developed by India’s Defence Research and Development Organisation. It was last tested in April, 2007.
Agni-I has a range of 750-800 km and Agni-II has a range of more than 1,500 km. Indian Armed forces have inducted both these missiles.