Agni-III joins India's missile arsenal

Balasore, Orissa: India on Thursday test fired its nuclear capable 3,000 km plus intermediate range ballistic missile (IRBM), Agni-III, from the Interim Test Range (ITR) at the Wheeler's Island in the Bay of Bengal off the coast of Orissa. This latest evolution of the 'Agni' series of IRBMs, blasted off at 10.52 am from a Rail Mobile Launcher System, leaving behind a trail of orange and yellow smoke, as per eyewitness accounts.

Senior defence research and development organization (DRDO) officials later confirmed that the test was "absolutely successful." A Reuters report quoted officials as saying that they were "absolutely satisfied with all the results" and that the test "met all the target coordinates."

Earlier in the day, there was some suspense about the outcome of the test, but scientists clarified that it would take at least four hours post-launch to analyse flight and performance data and ascertain whether the missile had fully met all designated parameters. The missile's flight was tracked from ground stations at Dhamra, ITR, Balasore, Port Blair as well as by two Indian naval ships stationed in the Indian Ocean.

The successful test will likely have a deep impact on the region's politics. Agni-III now becomes the most powerful missile in the Indian subcontinent, capable of targeting a wide arc of countries and cities from West Asia to China. For India, long living under the shadow of Chinese missiles, the Agni-III now brings Beijing and Shanghai under its shadow, considerably changing regional power equations. The Agni-III can carry payloads of up to 1.5 tonnes, depending on its mission configuration.

High tech
Meanwhile, the success of the launch has gone a long way towards erasing unpleasant memories from last year when a similar launch in July 2006 failed because of 'material related' problems. The missile design team would be happy that the problems faced in the previous failed attempt have now been fully understood and resolved.

The successful launch also marks the crossing of some major milestones in the development of missile technologies.

According to reports immediately available post-launch, the entire flight path, of approximately 15 minutes duration, validated all mission objectives. These objectives were meant to establish the in-flight performance of the two-stage propulsion unit as well as a flex nozzle control system, which was being attempted by DRDO scientists for the very first time.

According to defence scientists, the trajectory of this 48 tonne, 16 metre long, missile is computed by an onboard computer system, based on previously fed launch and target coordinates. During flight the missile is designed to operate as an autonomous, fully `intelligent' unit, that will home in on the designated target on its own without any communication with ground systems.

According to M Natarajan, DRDO chief and also scientific advisor to the defence minister, the test also marks the attainment of a high degree of self-reliance by India's defence establishment, as most of the sub-systems have been developed within the country. The development of these systems has been achieved through considerable synergies between DRDO and the country's industrial sector, both public and private, along with the nation's academia.

According to the mission director of the Agni-III programme, Avinash Chander, many "firsts" have been established with this launch. These include testing the flex nozzle controls of the rocket motor during the 'powered phase' and the use of specially developed composite propellants with 'high specific impulse' for the rocket.

The test also marks the testing of guidance and control technologies, with built in fault-tolerant avionics, withstanding severe aero-thermal environment, which is experienced during the re-entry phase and coordinated mission management.

Meanwhile, defence minister, AK Antony, congratulated defence scientists on the successful launch and for achieving another important milestone in self-reliance in this critical strategic system. He also stated that India has matured in the missile technology area and was definitely at par with many other developed countries.