Bhubaneswar:
India Tuesday successfully test fired its 4,000 km nuclear capable Agni-IV missile from a defence base in Odisha, an official said.
The Agni-IV, a strategic missile which can carry a one tonne nuclear warhead, was tested fired at 10.19 a.m. from a launch pad from the Wheeler Island, the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) said .
"The test firing was successful. The missile crossed over more than 3,500 km," Ravi Gupta, director (Public Interface) at DRDO. It was the first user trial of the long-range, nuclear-capable, surface-to-surface Agni-IV.
The operation was carried out by the Indian Army's Strategic Forces Command (SFC). The two-stage, 17 tonne and 20-metre tall Agni-IV missile is equipped with state-of-the-art avionics, and a fifth generation on-board computer.
It has the latest features to correct and guide itself through inflight disturbances. This was the fourth success in a row for Agni-IV. The first was in November 2011, the second in September 2012 and the third in January 2014.
Agni-IV has already been inducted into the army, said DRDO sources.