India tests n-capable Agni-III missile

Bhubaneswar, Dec 23: India on Monday test fired its nuclear-capable Agni-III ballistic missile from a base in Odisha, defence officials said.

The surface-to-surface missile, with a range of over 3,000 km, was fired from a launching complex at the Inner Wheeler Island off the coast of Dhamra in Bhadrak district, about 200 km from here.

"The test was carried out by the Strategic Forces Command. It was a user trial," a senior defence official told IANS.

Agni-III is capable of carrying warheads weighing up to 1.5 tonnes. It is 16 metres in length and weighs 48 tonnes. The missile has a two-stage solid propellant system. It can re-enter the atmosphere with a very high velocity.

Agni-III is a rail mobile system capable missile and can be launched from anywhere in India.