India tests nuclear-capable Agni I missile

Dec 1, 2011, 9:23 GMT

New Delhi - India on Thursday successfully tested its nuclear-capable surface-to-surface missile Agni-I from a defence base in the eastern state of Orissa.

The missile, which has a range of 700 kilometres, was fired from a rail mobile launcher on the Wheeler Island off the state's coast and reached the target point in the Bay of Bengal, the Defence Ministry said in a statement.

Two naval ships located near the target point tracked the missile in the terminal phase of the flight, the ministry said.

Weighing 12 tons, the 15-metre-long missile, which can carry payloads weighing up to one ton, has already been inducted into the Indian army.

Agni-II, which has a range of more than 1,500 kilometres, was first tested on April 11, 1999.

Since 2007, India has also successfully test-fired the Agni-III, its longest-range missile, which can cover distances up to 3,500 kilometres.

The Agni series of missiles has been developed by the country's Defence Research and Development Organization under the Integrated Guided Missile Development Programme. The first test of the Agni series was conducted in 1989.