India successfully test-fires nuclear capable ballistic missile Agni-5

India yesterday successfully test-fired its indigenously developed nuclear-capable Long Range Ballistic Missile Agni-5, which has a strike range of 5,000 km, off the Odisha coast.

The surface-to-surface missile was launched with the help of a mobile launcher from launch pad-4 of the Integrated Test Range (ITR) at Dr Abdul Kalam Island in the Bay of Bengal at 9.48 a.m., defence sources said.

This was the sixth trial of the state-of-the-art Agni-5. The missile covered its full distance during the trial which was a total success, they said.

“The flight performance of the missile was tracked and monitored by radars, tracking instruments and observation stations all through the mission,” the sources said.

Unlike other missiles of the series, Agni-5 is the most advanced with new technologies in terms of navigation and guidance, warhead and engine, said a Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) official.

Many new technologies developed indigenously were successfully tested in the Agni-5 trial. Navigation systems, very high accuracy Ring Laser Gyro based Inertial Navigation System (RINS) and the most modern and accurate Micro Navigation System (MINS) had ensured the missile reached the target point within a few meters of accuracy, the official explained. “The high speed on-board computer and fault tolerant software along with robust and reliable bus guided the missile flawlessly, he said. (Press Trust of India).