India tests its longest-range n-capable missile

By IANS,

Bhadrak (Orissa) : India tested its longest-range nuclear capable missile Agni III, that can hit a target 3,000 km away, from a defence base here Wednesday morning, military sources said.


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The Agni III, which is capable of carrying warheads weighing up to 1.5 tonnes, was tested at exactly 9.56 a.m. from the Inner Wheeler Island at Dhamra, a launch site in Bhadrak district, about 200 km from the state capital Bhubaneswar.

Agni-III, one of the Agni series missiles, is 16 metres in height and weighs 48 tonnes.

This was the third test of the missile, which scientists say has the capability of hitting strategic targets like Beijing and Shanghai deep inside China.

The first test of the missile, labelled China-specific by some experts, from the same defence base on July 9, 2006 was unsuccessful – the second stage of the rocket had failed to separate from the missile quickly and fallen short of its target.

However, the missile, developed by the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), was tested again on April 12, 2007 and was successful.

While Agni-I is a 750-800 km short-range missile, Agni-II has a range of more than 1,500 km. Both have already been inducted in the armed forces.

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