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India Conducts Second Ballistic Missile Test In A Month
India on Friday successfully launched a ballistic missile in the second such trial of the nuclear-capable weapon in a month, the defense ministry said.The Agni-II missile blasted off from a testing site in eastern India and " achieved all its flight parameters without hitch," a senior ministry official told AFP. "It was a user trial conducted by the army and defense scientists," he said of the rocket, which the military says is capable of hitting targets deep inside adjoining China. The test was the second since May 19 when a similar 2,500-kilometer (1,560- mile) range Agni-II was fired from the same site, hitting a pre-designated target in the Bay of Bengal. The Indian-developed 20-meter-long missile weighs 16 tons and is capable of carrying one ton of conventional or nuclear warheads. Friday's trial, part of the nation's efforts to build a credible minimum nuclear deterrent, paves the way for the missile's mass production and eventual induction by the Indian army, the official said. India already has the 3,000-kilometer range Agni-III missile - the longest in the Agni series - which can also carry conventional or nuclear payloads. Unconfirmed reports suggest India is also building an Agni variant with a range of 5,000 kilometers. The Agni (Fire) is one of a series being developed by India's Defense Research Development Organization as part of the country's deterrent strategy against China and neighboring Pakistan, which also have nuclear weapons. Agni-I, first tested in 1993, has a strike range of 1,500 kilometers. Posted by: john frum 2009-06-19 |
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