The Indian Ministry of Defence (MoD) has announced the successful test launch of the Agni-III intermediate-range ballistic missile (IRBM).
The test was carried out from Dr APJ Abdul Kalam Island, off the coast of Odisha in Balasore, India, on 23 November.
It was performed as part of a routine user training effort and supported by India’s Strategic Forces Command (SFC).
The Indian MoD’s statement said that the recent test was conducted for a pre-determined range.
It helped in assessing and validating all the operational parameters, as well as the reliability of the Agni-III missile system.
Developed by Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), the 17m-long Agni-III is a nuclear-capable missile system featuring a two-stage solid propellant.
It is third in the Agni family of missile systems and its maiden test firing was conducted in July 2006 from Wheeler Island off the coast of Odisha.
According to a report by New Indian Express, the latest Agni-III test launch was conducted at around 7:30pm and was the second test held at night, after the first trial failed in 2019.
The SFC carried out the first Agni-III night trial from a mobile launcher at the Integrated Test Range (ITR) in Odisha in December 2019.
The media report also claimed that the current user test was conducted to validate the ‘technical parameters’ of the missile system to reconfirm its readiness to succeed in the missions during night-time.
Earlier this month, the DRDO conducted a successful flight test of the Phase-II ballistic missile defence interceptor AD-1 missile from Odisha’s coast.
