Global Security Newswire

A Tuesday trial launch of India's second-generation Agni 2 missile unfolded as intended, increasing New Delhi's confidence in the reliability of its nuclear deterrent, the Press Trust of India reported (see GSN, Nov. 14).

The nuclear-ready Agni 2 Prime was launched from a mobile launch pad at the Integrated Test Range on Wheeler Island near Odisha coast, defense insiders said.

The surface-to-surface intermediate range missile can fly more than 1,800 miles and can carry a 1 ton warhead.

A Defense Ministry official said the Agni 2 Prime would now be known as Agni 4.

"While the Agni 2 missile has a strike range of 2,000 km (1,243 miles) and Agni 3 can hit a target at a distance up to 3,500 km (2,175 miles), this new variant with a strike range of 3,000 km would bridge the gap between Agni 2 and Agni 3," sources said.

The Agni 4 also has been designed to strike targets with greater precision, according to a Defense Research and Development Organization researcher.

An initial test launch of the Agni 4 nearly one year ago was unsuccessful (Press Trust of India/South Asian News Agency, Nov. 15).