India test fires Agni-III

[Samudra]

Agni-III test fired off Orissa Coast :army:

Dhamra, July. 9 (PTI): India's most sophisticated intermediate range ballistic missile (IRBM) Agni-III was today test-fired from a range off the Orissa Coast.

The indigenously built surface-to-surface nuclear capable missile, with a range of 3,500 km, was test-fired from a fixed platform at the launch complex of the Integrated Test Range (ITR) at the Wheeler's Island at about 11.05 am, defence sources said.

Described as the most powerful of India's missiles developed by the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), Agni-III has the capability of carrying a payload of 1000 kg, the sources said.

Defence Minister Pranab Mukherjee and his Scientific Advisor M Natarajan, were present at the launch complex located in the Wheeler Island off the Dhamra Coast to witness the launch of the missile.

Eyewitnesses said the sleek missile roared into the overcast sky leaving behind a trail of thick yellow smoke and fire and vanished into the clouds within seconds.

Fitted with an onboard computer, it took off vertically into space and re-entered again to the splash down point near Nicobar island in the Bay of Bengal, the sources said.

Three sophisticated radars, six electro optical tracking systems and three telemetric data stations were engaged in the main land at Dhamra, Chandipur and Andamans apart from a ship anchored close to the splash down point to monitor the entire trajectory of the missile.

The two-stage missile has solid fuel boosters and can carry both conventional and nuclear warheads. The 16-metre long Agni-III has a diametre of 1.8 metres and was shorter than Agni-II which had a length of 20 metres and diameter of one metre.


Though the DRDO had been technically ready for the test launching of Agni-III its test firing had been put off repeatedly since November 2004.

Part of the country's Integrated Guided Missile Development Programme (IGMDP), missiles in the Agni series are being test fired since May 22, 1989 from the Integrated Test Range at Chandipur-on-sea in Balasore district.
After the action shifted to the Wheeler Island a few years ago, Agni-I and Agni-II had been flight tested from there twice each.

Agni-I, with a range of 700 to 800 kg, and Agni-II with a range of 2000 km, had already been inducted into the army. Boosters for the two missiles had been provided by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO). But Agni-III is a totally different system with an entirely new booster vehicle, the sources said.

LINK

Time to celebrate, Gentlement.:flag:

 

[Averroes]

Interesting, was this missile entirely made in India?

lol @ mukherjee, Friends episode where PHoebe makes up an imaginary boyfriend, vikram mukherjee, didnt know that was a real name.

Fitted with an onboard computer, it took off vertically into space and re-entered again to the splash down point near Nicobar island in the Bay of Bengal, the sources said.

How far up do they fly before then locating the target?

 

[KashifAsrar]

India test-fires new nuclear-capable Agni III missile, news agency reports
GAVIN RABINOWITZ
Associated Press Writer

Indian army soldiers watch the display of an Agni II missile during the Army Day parade in New Delhi, India, in this Thursday, Jan. 15, 2004 file photo. India test-fired its new nuclear-capable Agni III missile Sunday, a news report said. The launch took place at India's main missile testing center in Orissa state in eastern India. (AP Photo/Gurinder Osan, File)
NEW DELHI — India test-fired its nuclear-capable Agni III missile Sunday for the first time, the Defense Ministry said.

The launch took place at India's main missile testing center in the eastern state of Orissa, Defense Ministry spokesman Sitanshu Kar told the Associated Press.

The launch of India's longest-range missile, able to fly 1,865 miles, has been viewed as a routine test — not saber-rattling with the country's nuclear-armed archrival and neighbor, Pakistan.

New Delhi and Islamabad regularly test-fire missiles, but normally only give each other prior notice for long-range launches. It was not immediately clear whether India informed Pakistan ahead of Sunday's test.

The missile was launched at 11:03 Indian time and "took off successfully," Kar said. "Details of the flight performance are being analyzed by the mission team."

The missile splashed down near the Nicobar islands in the Bay of Bengal.

Indian Defense Minister Pranab Mukherjee was at the launch complex, on Wheeler Island off Orissa, to witness the test, the Press Trust of India news agency reported.

The Agni III further boosts India's homegrown missile arsenal, which includes the short-range Prithvi ballistic missile, the medium-range Akash, the anti-tank Nag and the supersonic Brahmos missile, developed jointly with Russia.

 

[Spring Onion]

Wasnt this Agni III the same missile the test of which India had put on hold in view of US-Indo Nuclear deal ????

hmmmmm they came up with testing it under lots of pressure from the politicians ??? or its a warning to US in connection with some reservations by US elected members???

Can anybody enlightened me on this any view ?

 

[Spring Onion]

Neo its a double post Sam had posted in In india thread, moreover its not Pakistan, India has tested it so whts this post doing in Pakistani thread :biggrin:

Neo delete it
Sorry kashif

 

[Samudra]

Since the two major parties share the same opinion about strategic issues I'd think there is no domestic pressure on the government to test the thing when they really did not want to.

We do not fire missiles to 'warn' anybody.
We're not that strong or stupid(like the NoKos) yet.

And, some reports indicate that this prototype did not meet the stipulated requirements.In other words, the missile failed the test.:flag:

 

[A.Rahman]

I merged it

 

[Samudra]

So the second stage failed to ignite...:flag:

 

[Neo]

Agni-III test fired off Orissa Coast :army:


LINK

Time to celebrate, Gentlement.:flag:

Congrats bro! :army:

 

[Neo]

How far up do they fly before then locating the target?

Considering the range and the fact that its a multi stage missile, I assume the target is located only after the reentry from space, which could be minutes before impact.

 

[TexasJohn]

Considering the range and the fact that its a multi stage missile, I assume the target is located only after the reentry from space, which could be minutes before impact.

I also read the missile test failed. It reached a 12km altitude, and the second stage did not seperate due to a "design flaw".

 

[Neo]

I also read the missile test failed. It reached a 12km altitude, and the second stage did not seperate due to a "design flaw".

No big deal, its a minor setback.
Like OoE said in a different forum, its better to learn from 'what goes wrong rather than what goes right'.
India has enough experience with multi stage rockets from her civil space programme, she'll improve the design and retest it in time.

 

[TexasJohn]

No big deal, its a minor setback.
Like OoE said in a different forum, its better to learn from 'what goes wrong rather than what goes right'.
India has enough experience with multi stage rockets from her civil space programme, she'll improve the design and retest it in time.

I will have to agree. After all even the US & Russia have test failures. That is how I view the Indian LCA ( Late Combat Aircraft). The darn project itself is screwed up but the technologies and learning curves have spawned off other innovations in Radar, software etc.

Until the plane itself flies, IAF will buy what is out there now with possible TOT.

 

[genmirajborgza786]

india,s most advance balastic missile faild to hit the target after develloping some technical difficulties and fell in the sea this ahs been a huge setback to india missile program more details are avilabele at hindustan times,the pioneer,asian age,yahoo news.​

 

[KashifAsrar]

I also read the missile test failed. It reached a 12km altitude, and the second stage did not seperate due to a "design flaw".

Agni-III fails to clear maiden test


5 Mins After Launch, N-Capable Missile Falls Into Sea Barely 1,000 Km Away


By Rajat Pandit/TNN


New Delhi: India’s quest to strengthen its ‘‘affordable’’ nuclear deterrence posture against China failed to take off on Sunday, with the maiden test-firing of the 3,500-km Agni-III ballistic missile proving to be unsuccessful.
The launch of the missile — from the interim test-range at Wheeler Island, off the coast of Orissa — at 11.05 am was ‘‘fairly smooth’’. But it was soon followed by ‘‘a series of mishaps’’ in its flight path which finally ended with the missile dropping into the Bay of Bengal not even 1,000 km away from the launch site.
‘‘The missile did not achieve the perfect high-arching trajectory as per design projections. After going up vertically for 12 km, it rapidly lost height, staying over the atmosphere for barely five minutes instead of at least 15 minutes,’’ said sources.
‘‘The second stage of the two-stage solid-fuelled missile apparently failed to separate. The test failed to achieve most of the operational parameters set for it, which were being monitored by three radars, six electro-optical tracking systems and three telemetric data stations,’’ they added.
Defence ministry and Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) officials were tightlipped about what was clearly an unsuccessful test. Defence minister Pranab Mukherjee, who witnessed the test before returning to West Bengal, however, was more candid. ‘‘The take-off was successful but there were some problems later. It will take some time to analyse the data about the flight performance,’’ he told TOI.
The Agni-III intermediate range ballistic missile (IRBM) has been dogged with problems from the very beginning.

BUMPY FLIGHT

After a successful launch, Agni-III goes up 12 km
Loses height as second stage of the solid-fuelled missile fails to separate
Its range of 3,500 km notwithstanding, falls into sea 1,000 km from launch site
It was set for test-fire by the end of 2003, but ran into
technical snags
In 2005, launch deferred keeping in mind the sensitivities involving India-US nuclear deal