trident2010
SENIOR MEMBER
Practice launch of Agni-I today
Agni-I missile will be fired from the Wheeler Island off the Odisha coast on Thursday morning in a practice-launch to test the Army's readiness to use it.
The Army's Strategic Forces Command, tasked with handling missiles capable of carrying nuclear warheads, will fire Agni-I from a specially designed truck.
The missile can carry a one-tonne nuclear warhead, but during the test, it will be fitted with a dummy payload. The missile had been inducted into the Army. Agni-II and Agni-III have also been deployed with the Army.
The Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) developed Agni-I to bridge the gap between Prithvi, which has a range of 250 km, and Agni-II, which can strike targets 2,500 km away. Defence specialists say Agni-I, with a range of 700 km, is Pakistan-specific, capable of covering the entire western range.
It was first launched on January 25, 2002 and since then, several launches had taken place. The missile to be launched on Thursday is the same as those used previously. There is no change in the configuration or the engine's power. Everything is ditto, a DRDO missile engineer said.
The 15-metre tall, 12-tonne, single-stage missile is powered by solid propellants. It reaches an altitude of more than 300 km before re-entering the atmosphere. Its diameter is one metre. The missile is a scaled-down version of Agni-II, which has two stages. Agni-II's first stage was re-configured to become Agni-I.
The Hindu : News / National : Practice launch of Agni-I today
Agni-I missile will be fired from the Wheeler Island off the Odisha coast on Thursday morning in a practice-launch to test the Army's readiness to use it.
The Army's Strategic Forces Command, tasked with handling missiles capable of carrying nuclear warheads, will fire Agni-I from a specially designed truck.
The missile can carry a one-tonne nuclear warhead, but during the test, it will be fitted with a dummy payload. The missile had been inducted into the Army. Agni-II and Agni-III have also been deployed with the Army.
The Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) developed Agni-I to bridge the gap between Prithvi, which has a range of 250 km, and Agni-II, which can strike targets 2,500 km away. Defence specialists say Agni-I, with a range of 700 km, is Pakistan-specific, capable of covering the entire western range.
It was first launched on January 25, 2002 and since then, several launches had taken place. The missile to be launched on Thursday is the same as those used previously. There is no change in the configuration or the engine's power. Everything is ditto, a DRDO missile engineer said.
The 15-metre tall, 12-tonne, single-stage missile is powered by solid propellants. It reaches an altitude of more than 300 km before re-entering the atmosphere. Its diameter is one metre. The missile is a scaled-down version of Agni-II, which has two stages. Agni-II's first stage was re-configured to become Agni-I.
The Hindu : News / National : Practice launch of Agni-I today
