NEWS
Nuclear-capable Agni-II missile, with a range of 2,000 km, was successfully test fired by the Indian Army on May 17, 2010, from the Wheelers Island off the coast of Orissa. A part of user trials, the launch was conducted from a rail mobile system in Launch Complex-4 of the integrated test range (ITR) at 9.15 a.m., said defence sources soon after the versatile surface-to-surface missile blasted off. Data relating to various parameters of the mission objectives was being analysed. The entire trajectory of the trial was tracked by a battery of sophisticated radars, telemetry observation stations, electro-optical instruments and two ships of the Indian Navy located near the impact point in the Bay of Bengal.

VIEWS
The 21-metre tall, 1.3-metre in diameter Agni-II surface-to-surface intermediate range ballistic missile whose operational variant was tested for the first time in April 1999, is a two-stage, solid fuel missile with a launch weight of 17 tonnes and can deliver a 1,000 kg conventional or nuclear warhead over a distance of 2,000 km and a CEP of 30 metres. With a reduced payload, the range would be correspondingly higher. The missile is equipped with a navigation system that provides high degree of accuracy and has antiballistic missile defence countermeasures. High manoeuvrability of the missile in flight is achieved through a flex nozzle, a system employed so far only in the third stage motor of the polar satellite launch vehicle (PSLV). With the help of an on-board closed loop guidance and control system, the flex nozzle provides the capability for minute changes in the thrust vector. This is a feature unique to the Agni-II system as it is not available to other missiles of this class the world over.

After the launch, the missile ascends to an altitude of 230 km and is designed to withstand temperatures of up to 3,000 degrees Celsius during re-entry when it has a rate of descent of 3.5 km per second. Immunity to high re-entry temperatures has been made possible through the extensive use of carbon-carbon composites in the construction of the airframe. The missile is equipped with C and S band radars for terminal guidance. During the terminal phase, while homing on to the target, the re-entry vehicle manoeuvres with the help of fins to evade anti-ballistic missile defences.

The Agni-II is part of a triad of ballistic missile systems developed under the Integrated Guided Missile Development Programme which includes the already operational 700 km range Agni-I, and the 3,000 km range Agni-III which has successfully completed all trials and is currently under induction. The three systems together would form the backbone of India’s missile-based nuclear deterrence capability.

The most recent test on the Agni-II was carried out by the Strategic Forces Command (SFC) of the Indian Armed Forces with logistic support from the various establishments of the DRDO. However, SFC personnel were responsible for making the Agni-II system operational, define mission objectives, conduct the launch, and monitor the flight trajectory. The Agni-II has been test-fired by the SFC three times in the last 12 months. While the third test on May 17 that lasted for 11 minutes has been described as successful, the first on May 19, 2009, and the second a night launch on November 23, the same year, failed to achieve the mission objectives as the missile deviated from the designated flight path and crashed into the sea. The two disasters are believed to be on account of failure of separation of the second stage. With the success of the launch on May 17, the SFC has carried out launch of all three versions. Apart from validating the operational readiness of the Agni-II system, the test served a confidence building exercise particularly after two successive failures that were attributed to production and not any design deficiency.