India test fires nuclear-capable Agni-II missile

Bhubaneswar, May 4 (IANS) India on Thursday test-fired its medium-range nuclear-capable ballistic missile Agni-II off the Odisha coast, but the test failed after the missile deviated from its trajectory, sources said.

The trial of the surface-to-surface missile was conducted from Launch Complex-4 of the Integrated Test Range (ITR) in the APJ Abdul Kalam Island in Balasore district, said officials.

However, the missile went off its path after around half-a-kilometer and the test had to be aborted, they said.

The Strategic Forces Command (SCF), a specially raised missile-handling unit of the Indian Army, carried out the test at 10.20 a.m.

Agni-II has two solid fuel stages and a Post Boost Vehicle (PBV) integrated into the missile's Re-entry Vehicle (RV). The 20-metre missile is a two-stage, solid propelled ballistic missile.

It has a strike range of more than 2,000 km, is 20-metre long, weighs 17 tonnes and can carry a payload of 1,000 kg.