India’s strategic missile, Agni-IV, which has a strike range of 4,000 km, was successfully test-fired from the Wheeler Island, off the Odisha coast on Monday.
The missile was fired from a road mobile launcher by the Army’s Strategic Forces Command, which is tasked with handling of strategic weapon systems, at 9.45 am. After a flight of about 15 minutes, Agni-IV, carrying a dummy payload, splashed down near the pre-designated target point in the Indian Ocean.
A top Defence Research and Development Organisation missile technologist said the mission went off very well and all the objectives were met. Soon after its launch, the missile accelerated to an altitude of about 600 km and began its downward trajectory. The re-entry vehicle carrying the dummy payload withstood searing temperatures as it re-entered the atmosphere and splashed down near the target point more than 3,500 km away.
All the radars along the East Coast, telemetry and electro-optical systems tracked and monitored the performance of the missile during the entire exercise. Two down-range ships near the pre-designated target area recorded the terminal event. Ring laser gyro-based inertial navigation system along with MEMS-based Micro Inertial Navigation system in redundant mode ensured that the missile reached its target point with accuracy.
