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Agni-III flight test soon

Special Correspondent

HYDERABAD: The crucial flight trial of Agni-III, the nuclear capable long-range missile (beyond 3000 km), is expected to take place early next week, according to defence sources.

It will be launched from Wheeler Island of the Interim Test Range at Chandipur in Orissa. The maiden flight of the surface-to-surface missile on July 9 last year failed after it nose-dived into the sea within seconds of a smooth lift-off due to non-separation of the first and second stages. DRDO sources later attributed the failure to "material-related fault," besides problems with protective heat shield and propulsion.

The indigenously-built Agni-III, capable of carrying warheads weighing up to 1.5 tonnes, is 16 metres tall and weighs 48 tonnes. It belongs to the Agni series of missiles and is expected to be the mainstay of India's nuclear deterrence programme when fully operational by providing the country with strategic second-strike capability.

While Agni-I is a short-range missile of 750-800 km, Agni-II has a range of more than 1,500 km.

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