<p>The Defence Research Development Organisation (DRDO) attributed the failure to a “technical snag” in the last minutes. “A detailed analysis of the event is being carried out,” a DRDO source said.<br /><br />Known as Agni II plus or Agni II prime, the surface-to-surface medium range ballistic missile, with a capability to carry both conventional as well as nuclear warheads, was test fired from a mobile launcher in the premier missile testing centre in Orissa’s Bhadrak district at around 10 am.<br /><br />According to the officials, the role of bad weather behind the failure could be a reason for the failure. The missile was earlier scheduled to be test fired on Thursday but bad weather had forced the DRDO scientists to call it off.<br /><br />According to officials in the state’s science and technology department, the unsuccessful test run of the missile should not be treated as a major setback for the country’s indigenous missile development programme.<br /><br />“It is certainly a setback but not a major one. These things do happen across the globe. In fact, both Agni II and Agni III had several unsuccessful trial runs before they were test fired successfully,” said a scientist, attached to the science and technology department.<br /><br />Agni II plus is an upgraded version of Agni II missile with a higher range. While Agni II can hit a target at a distance of 2,000 kms, the travelling capacity of Agni II plus missile is between 2,500 to 3,000 kms.</p>
<p>The Defence Research Development Organisation (DRDO) attributed the failure to a “technical snag” in the last minutes. “A detailed analysis of the event is being carried out,” a DRDO source said.<br /><br />Known as Agni II plus or Agni II prime, the surface-to-surface medium range ballistic missile, with a capability to carry both conventional as well as nuclear warheads, was test fired from a mobile launcher in the premier missile testing centre in Orissa’s Bhadrak district at around 10 am.<br /><br />According to the officials, the role of bad weather behind the failure could be a reason for the failure. The missile was earlier scheduled to be test fired on Thursday but bad weather had forced the DRDO scientists to call it off.<br /><br />According to officials in the state’s science and technology department, the unsuccessful test run of the missile should not be treated as a major setback for the country’s indigenous missile development programme.<br /><br />“It is certainly a setback but not a major one. These things do happen across the globe. In fact, both Agni II and Agni III had several unsuccessful trial runs before they were test fired successfully,” said a scientist, attached to the science and technology department.<br /><br />Agni II plus is an upgraded version of Agni II missile with a higher range. While Agni II can hit a target at a distance of 2,000 kms, the travelling capacity of Agni II plus missile is between 2,500 to 3,000 kms.</p>
