Agni-II missile test-fired
Range more than 2,000 km
Tribune News Service

NEW DELHI, April 11 — India today added yet another powerful weapons system in its arsenal after it successfully test-fired the "Agni-II" intermediate range ballistic missile, capable of carrying nuclear and conventional weapons, from a site on the Orissa coast.

"We have added a new dimension to our defence capability and we have reached a point where no one from anywhere will dare to threaten us", a beaming Defence Minister, Mr George Fernandes, told scientists and other personnel of the Defence Research Development Organisation (DRDO) after watching the launch at the Inner Wheeler Island base station near Chandpur-on-sea.

In a textbook fashion launch, the over 20-metre-long missile, capable of travelling more than 2,000 km, soared into the sky without a hitch to the background of the traditional countdown at exactly 9.47 a.m.

"The missile reached the point of impact in exactly 11 minutes as scheduled. The launch of the missile was tracked by a network of stations and naval ships all the way down to the point of impact", Mr Fernandes told mediapersons here after returning from Orissa.

The Defence Minister said with today's successful launch, India had reached the point of operationalisation of Agni as a weapons system and it "demonstrated our mobile launch capability. This means that the defence forces can move in rugged areas with a very compact system.

The minister said the missile had a solid propulsion system and all features were designed to carry special weapon payload. He, however, did not specify the payload that the missile could carry. The missile has the state-off-the-art navigation, guidance and control. It also has sophisticated inload packages and advanced communication interface.

"Today was a great day for India and what was most satisfactory was that the launch took place at the scheduled time without any hitch. The entire flight of the missile from the launch point to the impact point was under constant observation and it demonstrated that we have achieved perfection of a high order in missile technology", Mr Fernandes said.

He said the launch of Angi-II, nearly 11 months after the Pokhran nuclear tests, demonstrated that no one could put pressure on India and the government would take all possible steps to ensure that the nation's security concerns were taken care of.

The Prime Minister, Mr Atal Behari Vajpayee, who took a keen interest in the project, had given all possible support to ensure the launch, Mr Fernandes said.

When asked about Pakistan's reaction that it would give a befitting reply to India, Mr Fernandes said he had no comments.

He clarified that the timing of the launch had nothing to do with the political imbroglio in the country and was a decision connected with the country's security.

The news of the successful launch was given to the country by the Union Information and Broadcasting Minister, Mr Pramod Mahajan, who addressed a press conference in the morning.

A spokesman of the Prime Minister's office said India took Pakistan into confidence on the matter and give it a day's notice of its plans to test-fire the missile. This was done in accordance with the recently signed Lahore declaration.

India had also given a special international warning to prevent any aircraft or ship from coming anywhere near the trajectory of the missile which splashed down in the Bay of Bengal.

The launch of Angi-II today ended a five-year period of restraint on the weapons. Angi-I was first-test-fired in May, 1989, and launched successfully in February, 1994.

Missile development process

Following is the chronology of India's Agni missile development process as part of the integrated missile development programme (IGMDP):

• Early 1980s: Development of the IGMDP starts; Hitches and failures hamper test-firing.
• May, 1989: Agni-I test-fired thrice
• May, 1992: Agni-I test-fired again
• Feb, 1994: Agni-I launched once more; five-year restraint period observed
• April 11, 1999: Agni-II, extended range version of Agni-I, successfully test-fired with a re-entry launch vehicle.
  
  
  

Salient features of launch

Following are the salient features of the intermediate range ballistic missile, Angi-II, which was test-fired from Wheeler Islands off the Orissa coast at 0947 hours on Sunday.

• The successful test-launch signified that India has reached the point of operationalising Agni-II as a weapon system:
• It demonstrated the mobile launch capability signifying that the missile can be moved anywhere, including rugged areas, by a very compact system.
• Agni-II, the 20-metre-long missile with a weight of 16 tonnes, has a solid propulsion system, meaning a solid operational configuration.
• It is mounted on re-entry vehicle
• It can cover a range of over 2,000 km in 11 minutes;
• Its features designed to carry special weapon payload of over 1,000 kg.
• It has sophisticated on-board packages and advanced communication interface
• Makes India part of the exclusive global missile club of very few countries. (PTI)
  
  
  

PM lauds experts

NEW DELHI, April 11 (PTI) — The Prime Minister, Mr Atal Behari Vajpayee, in his address to the nation today on the successful test-firing of Agni-II missile, congratulated and expressed deep appreciation for the team of Indian scientists, technicians, jawans and other defence personnel responsible for this historic achievement.

‘Agni is a tribute to their dedication and teamwork. It is also a vindication of our steadfast commitment to self-reliance. In a rapidly changing security environment, India cannot depend on others to defend her. We have to develop our own indigenous capabilities. Agni is a symbol of that resurgent India which is able to say: "Yes, we will stand on our own feet," he said.

India wanted peace in her neighbourhood and peace in the world and would continue to strive for this noble goal, he said, and added, 'My recent bus journey to Pakistan is an earnest attempt to open a new chapter of peace, and cooperation in the history of the Indian subcontinent.'

He said India was making impressive strides in new areas of science and technology. The recent launch of Insat 2-E satellite had taken India into a new orbit of world-class satellite communication. The country's success stories in information technology had it on the path to becoming a software superpower, he added.