Agni-5 missile test-fired from Dr Abdul Kalam Island off Odisha coast

This is the seventh trial of the indigenously-developed surface-to-surface missile, defence sources said.

Monday saw the second test firing of the missile in the last six months. (Representational Image)

India on Monday successfully test-fired the Agni-5 missile from the Integrated Test Range (ITR) in Dr Abdul Kalam Island off the Odisha coast.

The missile was launched at 13:30 hours from the island allotted to DRDO (Defence Research and Development Organisation) by the Odisha government in 1993. Monday saw the second test firing of the missile in the last six months.

The first test of Agni-5 was conducted on April 19, 2012, the second on September 15, 2013, the third on January 31, 2015, and fourth on December 26, 2016. The fifth test was held on January 18 and the sixth took place on June 03.

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The first two flights of Agni-5 in 2012 and 2013 respectively, were in open configuration. The third, fourth and fifth launches were from canister integrated with a mobile launcher, in its deliverable configuration that enables the launch of the missile with a very short preparation time as compared to an open launch.

Agni-5, which can strike targets as far as 5,000 kilometres, also has other advantages, such as higher reliability, longer shelf life, less maintenance and enhanced mobility, according to a previous report by Express.

At present, India has in its armoury the Agni series — Agni-1 with 700 km range, Agni-2 with 2,000 km range, Agni-3 and Agni-4 with 2,500 km to more than 3,500 km range.

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