Posted on 05/08/2008 2:15:25 PM PDT by Arjun
NEW DELHI: India on Wednesday entered a select club of nations possessing intermediate range ballistic missiles (IRBMs) with a range of up to 3,000 km, when it successfully test-fired, surface-to-surface nuclear-capable Agni-III missile. With this, the Indian security establishment has acquired the capability to hit targets deep inside China, including Beijing and Shanghai.
The all-solid fuel missile took off from Wheelers Island off the coast of Orissa 9:56 am and achieved its full range and accuracy by reaching its pre-designated target in 800 seconds. ”The missile is now ready for induction,’’ visibly happy DRDO scientists said after the missile achieved its target in a copy-book style.
The development was described as DRDO’s golden jubilee gift to the nation as the organisation gets set to kick off from Monday celebrations to commemorate 50 years of its existence. The success of Agni-III paves the way for India to build its truly inter-continental range missiles Agni-IV with a range of 5,000 km in the near future.
A miniaturised submarine-launched version of the Agni-III called Agni-III SL is also being developed and could be test-fired shortly, DRDO scientists said. Unlike Agni-I and Agni-II, the Agni-III missile has been designed and optimised to carry lighter 200 KT thermo nuclear pay-load weapons.
The third-stage booster being installed for the future Agni range of missiles will give them capability of hitting targets at longer distances fairly accurately. “The missile reached the pre-designated target in a time of 800 seconds, travelling through a peak height of 350 km with a velocity of more than 4,000 m a second,’’ Avinash Chander, Director of the Agni Project, told reporters in Balasore later in the day.
“All the sub-systems of the missile functioned in a copy book manner giving an outstanding integrated performance of the missile in terms of range and accuracy,’’ he said.
Minor modifications to India’s GSLV satellite launch vehicle gives it an ICBM that can take a nuclear payload and put it on any place on Earth. Last month’s ten-microsatellites-in-a-single-launch operation is one small step away from a functional MIRV.
These launches have major political implications. Look at the news with that view in mind.
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