India Successfully Test Fires N-Capable Agni Ii Missile

BHUBANESWAR: India on Friday successfully test fired the nuclear capable Agni II missile from a defence base in Orissa.

The surface-to-surface missile with a range of over over 2,000 km was test fired in Bhadrak district, said S.P. Dash, director of the Integrated Test Range at Wheeler's Island, about 200 km from here.

"It was a perfect launch," Dash told IANS. He added that the missile was tested at about 9.30 a.m.

The launch of the missile was postponed Aug 29 due to a technical snag.

The Agni II missile is part of India's Integrated Guided Missile Development Programme.

India had on May 17, 2010 test fired intermediate range Agni II missile, with a range of over 2,000 km after two successive failures in 2009.

The failed tests did not meet the mission's desired objectives as on both the occasions the missile lost its speed and deviated from its flight path.

The Agni II version of the Agni series of missiles was first test fired in 1999.