Nuke-capable Agni-V missile’s canister launch successful
31 Jan 2015 11:11 PM GMT
The surface-to-surface missile, which has the ability to hit targets deep inside China, was fired from a mobile vehicle at the Inner Wheeler Island launch site in Bhadrak district, about 200 km from Odisha capital Bhubaneswar, officials said.
The launch came on the day Avinash Chander, who played a key role in the missile’s development, demitted office as head of the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) after his tenure was cut short by 15 months.
“It is a canisterised version of the longest-range missile. It was tested for the first time from a canister. The test was successful,” test range director M.V.K.V. Prasad told IANS.
This was the third launch of the missile, but the first from a canister which would provide the armed forces with operational flexibility to pick and choose from where to launch the missile.
A canister launch system of the 50 tonne, 17-metre-long and 2-metre-circumference missile gives the forces the ability to transport it by road and rail.
The launch came on the day Avinash Chander, who played a key role in the missile’s development, demitted office as head of the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) after his tenure was cut short by 15 months.
“It is a canisterised version of the longest-range missile. It was tested for the first time from a canister. The test was successful,” test range director M.V.K.V. Prasad told IANS.
This was the third launch of the missile, but the first from a canister which would provide the armed forces with operational flexibility to pick and choose from where to launch the missile.
A canister launch system of the 50 tonne, 17-metre-long and 2-metre-circumference missile gives the forces the ability to transport it by road and rail.
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