Balasore :Marking another milestone in the country’s deterrence capability, India on Saturday successfully carried out the maiden canister-based trial of its most potent missile Agni-V, which has a strike range of over 5000 kms and can carry a nuclear warhead of over one tonne.
The missile was laun-ched from a canister moun-ted on a road-mobile launc-her at Wheeler’s Island off Odisha coast. The three-stage, solid propellant “missile was test-fired from a mobile launcher from the launch complex-4 of the Integrated Test Range (ITR) at about 8.06 hours,” ITR Director M V K V Prasad told PTI.
Today’s launch from a canister integrated with a mobile sophisticated laun-cher, was in its deliverable configuration that enables launch of the missile with a very short preparation time as compared to an open launch.
It also has advantages of higher reliability, and enhan-ced mobility. Defence analy-sts said the canister would make the missile fully road or rail mobile, giving a great deal of secrecy and flexibility to the country’s strategic strike capability.(PTI)
