N-capable Agni-II missile successfully test-fired

Bhubaneswar (IANS): India on Sunday successfully test-fired its nuclear-capable Agni-II strategic ballistic missile from a military base in Odisha, a Defence official said. The test was conducted from Wheeler's Island in Bhadrak district, around 200 km from here, at about 10.20 a.m. by army personnel as part of routine user-trials, MVKV Prasad, director of the Integrated Test Range, told IANS. "The missile successfully hit the target. It was a perfect launch" he said. The medium-range missile with a range of over 2,000 km has already been inducted into the army, and is part of the Strategic Forces arsenal for nuclear deterrence. The Agni-II is part of India's Integrated Guided Missile Development Programme. The two-stage surface-to-surface missile, equipped with an advanced high-accuracy navigation system and guided by a novel state-of-the-art command and control system, is powered by a solid rocket propellant system.