India successfully test fires Agni II missile

India successfully test fired a surface to surface intermediate range ballistic missile – the Agni II  -- in the Bay of Bengal, off the Odisha coast on Sunday, Indian media reported.

The missile was launched by the Army as part of a routine trial. Weighing 17 tonnes, the Agni II can carry a payload of more than 1,000 kg to a distance of 2,000 km. The range of the missile can be increased to 3,000km with a reduced payload.

“The two-stage vehicle launched from a mobile launcher has met all the mission objectives. Radar and electro-optical tracking systems located all along have tracked and monitored all parameters of the vehicle,” said Ravi Kumar Gupta, director, DRDO.

The first prototype of Agni II was successfully fired in 1999 and has been inducted in the defence forces.