By SHUBHAJIT Chakraborty

Bhubaneswar, Feb. 7 – India foremost indigenous nuclear capable missile Agni-III was successfully tested on Sunday from the Inner Wheeler Island at Dhamra, a launch site in Bhadrak district, about 200 km from Orissa capital Bhubaneswar, The missile has the capacity to reach over 3000 km and will soon induct in arm forces. Official statement said.

With the Sunday test India now stands among the few nations that have Intermediate-range Ballistic Missile (IRBM) capability. The test was its fourth and last pre-induction trial. “Now the missile system will be inducted in the armed forces,” an official said in the national capital.

Agni-III has two stage solid propellant systems. It can reach upto a height of 350 km and re-entered the atmosphere successfully, enduring the surface temperature of almost 3000 degree Celsius.

“The test was highly successful. It met all the mission objectives. All the events took place as expected,” S.P. Dash, director of the Integrated Test Range (ITR), told IANS from the site after the test.

“The launch is part of the pre-induction trials. The Indian Army (the user) has carried out the total launch operations guided by the DRDO (Defence Research and Development Organisation) scientists,” an official said.

Earlier Agni-I has a capacity to reach 750km short range missile while Agni-II has a range of more than 1,500km. Both are already introduced in Indian arm forces.

Defence Minister A.K. Antony stated as an extraordinary success and congratulated DRDO chief V.K. Saraswat and other scientists.