India successfully test fires nuclear-capable Agni-IV missile

Bhubaneswar: India on Tuesday successfully test fired its 4,000 km nuclear capable Agni-IV missile from a defence base in Odisha, an official said. [caption id=“attachment_1830687” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] Representational image. AP[/caption] The Agni-IV, a strategic missile which can carry a one tonne nuclear warhead, was tested fired at 10.19 am from a launch pad from the Wheeler Island, the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) said . “The test firing was successful. The missile crossed over more than 3,500 km,” Ravi Gupta, director (Public Interface) at DRDO, told IANS. It was the first user trial of the long-range, nuclear-capable, surface-to-surface Agni-IV. The operation was carried out by the Indian Army’s Strategic Forces Command (SFC). The two-stage, 17 tonne and 20-metre tall Agni-IV missile is equipped with state-of-the-art avionics, and a fifth generation on-board computer. It has the latest features to correct and guide itself through inflight disturbances. This was the fourth success in a row for Agni-IV. The first was in November 2011, the second in September 2012 and the third in January 2014. Agni-IV has already been inducted into the army, said DRDO sources. IANS