In a significant development, India successfully testfired the nuclear-capable strategic Agni Prime missile off the coast of Odisha with the capability to hit targets between 1,000 to 2,000 kms on Saturday.
“India today successfully testfired the Agni Prime missile off the coast of Odisha in Balasore. Agni Prime is a new generation advanced variant of the Agni class of missiles. It is a canisterised missile with a range capability between 1,000 and 2,000 kms,” government officials told ANI.
A lot of new features have been added to the nuclear-capable strategic missile Agni Prime during this test. The missile test met all its mission objectives with a high level of accuracy, they said.
“Various telemetry, radar, electro-optical stations and downrange ships positioned along the eastern coast tracked and monitored the missile trajectory and parameters. The missile followed textbook trajectory, meeting all mission objectives with a high level of accuracy,” the DRDO said in a statement.
The ‘Agni P’ is a two-stage canisterised solid propellant ballistic missile with dual redundant navigation and guidance system, it said.
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh congratulated the Defence and Research Development Organisation for the successful flight test and expressed his happiness over the system’s performance.
The ballistic missile weighs 50 per cent less than Agni 3 and can be launched from rail and road and stored for a longer period and transported all across the country as per operational requirements.
According to Defence Research and Development Organisation officials (DRDO), the air defence system can engage targets at around 15km. The VL-SRSAM, indigenously designed and developed by the DRDO for the Indian Navy, is meant for neutralising various aerial threats at close ranges, including sea-skimming targets, the organisation said.
