India to Conduct Agni-I Missile User Trials This Month

The Indian Army is preparing to conduct a fresh user trial of the Agni-I missile between 20 and 30 June 2011 from the Wheeler Island launching complex off the Orissa coast.

The nuclear-capable missile is capable of destroying targets located at a distance of 700km and has been designed to bridge the gap between the short-range Prithvi and medium-range AgniII missiles.

The Army’s Strategic Forces Command personnel will conduct a limited stock production test of the missile.

A defence scientist associated with the programme said: “There have been considerable improvements in its re-entry technology and manoeuvrability since Agni’s first trial. This test will reconfirm the technical parameters set for the Army.”

India also has plans to test its first 5,000km-range Agni-V missile in September this year, according to CNN-IBNLive.