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India’s longest range nuclear-capable Agni-III was successfully test-fired from the Wheeler Island, off the Orissa coast on Sunday. The more than 3,500-km range home-grown ballistic missile, believed to be most lethal of the weapon systems developed by the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) scientists, was test-fired at 10.50 hrs and covered the pre-designated range with 100 per cent accuracy, top officials told The Hindu from Wheeler Island soon after the successful launch.
The solid-propelled, two-stage missile can carry nuclear warheads weighing up to 1.5 tonnes. It is 17 metres tall and has a launch weight of 50 tonnes with a two-metre diameter.
When contacted, V.K. Saraswat, Scientific Advisor to Defence Minister and Director-General, DRDO, said it was a fantastic launch and a “hat-trick for Agni-III with three successes”. The trajectory went perfectly according to plan till the last decimal place, he said. “It gave us full range and pinpoint accuracy,” he added.
Avinash Chander, Agni-III mission director, called it a “perfect success”, stating that all the mission objectives were met. Chander, also the Director of Advanced Systems Laboratory - which designed and developed the Agni-III - said all the events listed in the launch were executed with accuracy and described it as a “thrilling experience".
A. Sivathanu Pillai, CEO and MD, BrahMos Aerospace, called the success an “important milestone for the country. It will lead to induction of the missile”. The success would bring credit to DRDO scientists, he said.
W. Selvamurthy, Chief Controller, Life Sciences and Human Resources, DRDO also termed it as an “important milestone in developing the country's defence and developing the second strike capability. The flight proved the robustbness of all the systems and software”.
With the third consecutive success of Agni-III, he said “it is now a proven missile. It is a big morale booster for our missile scientists and institutions”, he observed.
A top DRDO missile technologist said the mission was a “good success and the trajectory of the flight was excellent. Everything worked well, including all payload systems”, he added.
Even though the missile did not carry a live warhead, its nuclear triggering mechanism worked well. Instead of a nuclear warhead, it carried chemical explosives, the missile technologist added.
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