Agni missile to be test fired in early 2009

Visakhapatnam, Jan 7 (UNI) India will test fire Agni III missile, having a strike range of more than 5,000 km, in early 2009.

''The long-range ballistic missile is in the design stage and its trials are likely to take place in early 2009,'' Dr V K Saraswat, the Chief Controller (Research and Development) of the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), told reporters on the sidelines of the 95th Indian Science Congress here.

He said the Army was going to start user trials of the sophisticated anti-tank Nag missiles in May-June this year in Rajasthan.

The design work on the all weather anti-tank guided missile began in 1988 and its first tests were carried out in November 1990.

Earlier at a seminar on defence technology, he said India needed to develop floating test firing ranges for the new generation missile.

''Besides launch sites at Bay of Bengal such as Chandipur-on-Sea, we should develop ship-based ranges.'' He said nanotechnology, especially for developing sensors, would be the technology of the future for high accuracy missile sytem.

''Carbon nano tubes have to be developed for high technology paints that increase the shock absorbing capacity of the object,'' he said.

UNI YJ PK DB1955