Agni IV missile test launch successful

Official sources said the surface-to-surface ballistic missile was launched from a “road mobile system” parked in one of the launch pads of the premier missile testing centre, also known as interim test range (ITR), at 9 am.

The 20 metre long indigenously built missile has the capability to hit a target at a distance of more than 3,000 km, carrying both traditional as well as nuclear warheads up to 1 tonne. The weight of the missile is about 17 tonnes.

“The missile has the capability to carry strategic warheads for the Indian armed forces and has provided a fantastic deterrence to the country. The missile will be produced more in numbers and delivered to the armed forces as early as possible,” highly placed DRDO sources said.

ITR Director S P Dash said the missile had a textbook trajectory and reached the pre-designated target in the international waters of the Bay of Bengal with a very high level of accuracy. “All the mission objectives were fully met and all the systems functioned perfectly till the end,” he said.