NEW DELHI – According to Times of India on Thursday morning test-fired itsAgni-V intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) in its final operationalconfiguration from the Abdul Kalam Island off the Odisha coast, takinganother step forward toward its eventual induction into the StrategicForces Command (SFC).
There was no immediate word on whether the first ‘user-trial’ of thenuclear-capable Agni-V missile, which can even reach the northern-mostparts of China with its strike range of over 5,000-km, had met all theparameters laid down for the test.
‘We have successfully launched nuclear capable ballistic missile Agni-Vtoday,’ ANI quoted defence minister Nirmala Sitharaman as saying.
The Agni-V was last tested on December 26, 2016, which was then describedas the fourth and final experimental test of the three-stage missile.
The tri-Service SFC, established in 2003 to managelink>link>Indialink> ‘s nuclear arsenal, will have toconduct a few more user-trials before the 50-tonne missile is produced inadequate numbers for induction.
While the 17-metre long Agni-V was tested in an ‘open configuration’ inApril 2012 and September 2013, the third and fourth tests in January 2015and December 2016 saw it being fired from a hermetically sealed canistermounted on a Tatra launcher truck.