Successfully flight-test for the Indian Agni-II surface-to-surface ballistic missile 0110111

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Defense News - India

 
 
Saturday, October 1, 2011, 09:54 AM
 
Successfully flight-test for the Indian Agni-II surface-to-surface ballistic missile.
India on Friday, September 30, 2011, successfully flight-tested the surface-to-surface nuclear-capable Agni-II ballistic missile from Wheeler Island off the Orissa coast. Defence sources said the missile, which has a range of more than 2000 km, was fired from a rail mobile launcher at the Launching Complex-IV of the Integrated Test Range (ITR) at 9.30 am.
     

Indian surface-to-surface nuclear-capable Agni-II ballistic missile
     

"The Strategic Forces Command of Indian Army carried out the test as part of user training exercise. The mission met all objectives.

After a flight of nearly 11.5 minutes, the missile splashed down near the pre-designated target in the Bay of Bengal," said a defence official. "The missile's re-entry vehicle, made of carbon composites, withstood very high temperatures of nearly 3,000 degree Celsius as it descended with a speed of 3.5 km/second after reaching a height of 220 km," he said.

     

Indian surface-to-surface nuclear-capable Agni-II ballistic missile during firing test
     
The Agni missile family is envisaged to be the mainstay of the Indian missile-based strategic nuclear deterrence. The Agni-II is a medium range ballistic missile (MRBM) with two solid fuel stages and a Post Boost Vehicle (PBV) integrated into the missile's Re-entry Vehicle (RV).

The Agni-2 underwent its first flight test in April 1999 from Wheeler's Island in the Bay of Bengal. The test was conducted from a rail-car TEL. In 2001, the Agni-2 was tested from a road TEL. A third test, from a rail-car TEL, was made in August 2004.

By the end of 2001, less than five Agni-2 missiles were operational, but their production rate from 2001-present is expected to be around 10 missiles per year. The missiles are operated by the 335 Missile Group at Secunderabad using 12 TEL vehicles.