India Test Fires the AGNI-3 Strategic Ballistic Missile

The Indian Ministry of Defense confirmed the missile, tested for the full range, have met all the mission objectives. The two-stage AGNI-3 Missile has a length of 17 meters and diameter of two meters. With launch weight of 50 tons, the solid propellant powered missile carries a payload of up to 1.5 tons, sufficient for carrying nuclear warheads. The recent flight took the missile to an altitude of 350 km.

The recent test is part of the missile's developmental test plan. Although the Indian Defense Department claims the missile is 'ready for induction', more testing and verifications remain to be done. At present Agni III is transported by rail and launched from prepared launch pads. Operational missiles should be able to deploy more flexibly and rapidly - missile stored in containers, and launched utilizing transporter-erector-launcher (TEL) systems yet to be deployed.