India on Thursday successfully carried out the user trial of its intermediate-range ballistic missile Agni-III from Abdul Kalam Island off the Odisha coast.
The missile lifted off from launch Pad No. 4 of the Integrated Test Range located on the island at 9.12 am, sources in the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) said.
The Strategic Forces Command, an especially raised missile-handling unit of the Indian Army, carried out the test with logistics support from the DRDO.
The Agni-III has a strike range of more than 3,000 km and is capable of carrying both conventional and nuclear warheads weighing up to 1.5 tonnes.
The missile is powered by a two-stage solid propellant engine. With a length of 17 metres, the missile’s diameter is 2 metres and weight is around 2,200 kg.
The missile was inducted in the armed forces in June 2011.