Agni-III test fired

NEW DELHI: India carried out Thursday a second test of its nuclear-capable Agni-III ballistic missile with a range of 4,000 kilometres (2,480 miles). Agni, which means fire in Hindi, is one of five missiles being developed by India's Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) under an Integrated Guided Missile Development Programme launched in 1983.

DESCRIPTION: Agni-III is a surface-to-surface, two-stage missile. Both stages are powered by solid propellants.

RANGE: 4,000 kilometres (2,480 miles), according to defence ministry officials, and capable of striking targets deep inside China.

WARHEAD: Agni-III supports a wide range of warheads, conventional and nuclear, with a payload ranging from 600 to 1,800 kilograms (1,320 to 3,960 pounds) including decoys and other anti-ballistic counter-measures.

OTHER FEATURES: The missile can be deployed using rail or road mobile launch vehicles is said to have a high degree of accuracy with a medium to large nuclear payload, most likely a 200 to 300 kilotonne warhead.

THE AGNI SERIES: The short-range Agni-I was first test-fired in 1989. India last tested the intermediate range Agni-II on August 29, 2004.