India successfully test-fires Agni IV second time in the year

Balasore, Dec 2: India carried out the test-firing of surface-to-surface nuclear-tipped intermediate range ballistic missile (IRBM) Agni-IV from the Wheeler Island off the Odisha coast at around 10.15 am on Tuesday.

Second test-firing in 2014

Sources in the defence ministry said the IRBM was test-fired by the Strategic Forces Command of the Indian Army. This is the second test of the missile this year. It was successfully tested from the same place on January 20.

"The test conducted by the specially formed Strategic Force Command (SFC) was successful," Ravi Kumar Gupta, Director of the Directorate of Public Interface, Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), told PTI.

Agni-IV missile equipped with state-of-the-art features

The Agni-IV missile is equipped with state-of-the-art Avionics, 5th generation On Board Computer and distributed architecture. It has the latest features for self-correction during in-flight disturbances.

The solid fuelled Agni-IV will be mainstay of India's nuclear deterrence

The accurate Ring Laser Gyro based Inertial Navigation System (RINS) and highly reliable redundant Micro Navigation System (MINGS) ensure the vehicle can reach the target within two-digit accuracy.

The latest test-firing is aimed at assessing the performance of the missile's subsystems and checking the preparedness of the army to launch the missile on its own.

Strike range of 4,000 km

The Agni-IV missile has a strike range of 4,000 km. The two-stage solid propelled missile's length is around 20 metres and it weighs around 17 tonnes. It can be launched both from rail and road mobile launchers.

Oneindia News