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Long Range Ballistic Missile Agni III To Be Test Fired Soon

2007-04-04 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 quote newspaper reports.

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.

Agni-III was tested on July 9, 2006 from Wheeler island off the coast of the eastern state of Orissa. After the launch, it was reported that the second stage of the rocket had failed to separate and the missile had fallen well short of its target. It can hit strategic targets deep inside China, including Shanghai and Beijing with a strike range of more than 3,000 km. It falls short of the range of ICBMs (inter-continental ballistic missiles) which have ranges over 5,000 km.

The Indian Missile Program has been a largely indigenous one with almost all of the equipment developed by Indian scientists. However it is delayed by some years as more variants of Agni are expected. Some parts of the missile have benefited from India's Space Program.

Propulsion

The Agni-III features two solid fuelled stages and with overall diameter of 1.8 meters. This diameter is compatible with a recently tested Indian sub-surface launch system, which has a 2.4 meter diameter launch tube aperture [93]. Pontoon underwater launching platforms for Project K-15. Image

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