Agni-III Launch Was A Perfect Mission:DRDO Chief

New Delhi, Apr 13 (UNI) The test-launch by India of the Intermediate Range Ballistic Missile Agni-III yesterday was ''a perfect mission'' and ''a very significant success'', according to Scientific Adviser to the Defence Minister M Natarajan.

The country's top-most defence scientist -- who also heads the Defence Research&Development Organisation, the creators of Agni-III -- told mediapersons here today that yesterday's test-launch not only met all the mission requirements but also signified the maturing of India's Minimum Credible Nuclear Deterrent.

In a self-congratulory manner, the DRDO Chief observed that there was a lot about Agni-III that makes India proud ''not the least of them is the fact that it is India's own missile to the last nut and bolt''.

The long-range missile's strength was that it was ''totally indigenously developed'', he pointed out.

''It is a very significant success, particularly when the entire design, planning, material construction, execution and everything associated with the mission was indigenous... Such an effort is vital for the strategic system of our country....'' The series of successes in the last six months, including that of the 'Prithvi' interceptor missile, the launch of 'Dhanush', the success of another strategic system and now the Agni-III ''signify that we are maturing in these difficult technologies'', said Mr Natarajan, who was present at the launch site.

Unmindful of the maiden Agni-III's failure last July, the DRDO scientists worked hard, analysed the failure from the telemetry of the previous mission, did a lot of reviews and took corrective action which led to this success, added Mr Natarajan.

Agni-III is a product of the Advanced Systems Laboratory (ASL), Hyderabad -- a unit of DRDO. ASL Director Avinash Chander was the Programme Director of this mission -- he was also present at today's media interaction.

Agni III weighs 48.3 tonnes and stands 16.7 metres tall. The missile's diameter is two metres. It can carry nuclear warheads weighing one tonne. Its range is about 3,500 km and it can target many parts of China.

In yesterday's test, Agni-III was a totally autonomous missile.

Once launched, it did not depend on any command or signal from the ground. ''It is an intelligent missile'', said ASL Director Chander.

''We have reached a major milestone of realising the IRBM [Intermediate Range Ballistic Missile] capability beyond 3,000 kms... A number of new technologies, including the re-entry technology for this class of missiles, have been tested'', Mr Chander added.

In May 1998, India conducted five nuclear tests, which gave it confidence in terms of its nuclear weapons. However, a credible delivery system was needed to carry these weapons but an aircraft as a delivery system was vulnerable.

According to defence experts, India, therefore, needed missiles, whether surface-to- surface missiles or submarine-launched missiles.

While a submarine-launched missile will be an effective deterrent because its survival capability is high compared to a land system a missile launched from a silo would be a sitting duck.

The vulnerability of a missile launched from land can be reduced by making it mobile -- either road or rail mobile.

To that extent, Agni-III has this dispersal and mobility. And since its diameter was two metres, its thrust would be high, its range was more and it could carry heavier payloads with a larger volume.

Among those who witnessed yesterday's test-flight of Agni-III were Minister of State for Defence MM Pallam Raju, Vice Chief of Air Staff Air Marshal BN Gokhale and Strategic Forces Commander Vice Admiral Vijay Shankar.

The entire sequence of the Agni-III's flight was tracked by radars at the Integrated Test Range at Chandipur-on-sea near Balasore, Orissa; the Outer Wheeler Island, Dhamra on the coast of Orissa; Port Blair and ships stationed at impact points in the Bay of Bengal.

''All reported data reception and from this we can conclude that the mission met all its requirements,'' said DRDO Chief Natarajan.

UNI