Agni-IV Missile Successfully Tested, Can Strike Targets 4,000 km Away

NEW DELHI, June 6: A nuclear-capable Agni-IV ballistic missile, which can strike targets 4,000 km away, was successfully test-fired off the Odisha coast today, marking a significant boost to the country's military capabilities. The test was a part of routine user training launches carried out under the aegis of the Strategic Forces Command, said the Defence Ministry.

"The successful test reaffirms India's policy of having a credible minimum deterrence capability," it said in a statement. The missile was test-fired off APJ Abdul Kalam Island in Odisha at 7.30 pm this evening.

The government said the launch validated all operational parameters as also reliability of system.

Agni-IV is the fourth in the Agni series of missiles - earlier known as Agni II prime - developed by the Defence Research and Development Organisation or DRDO.

Last year, India successfully test-fired the nuclear-capable strategic Agni Prime missile with the capability to hit targets between 1,000 to 2,000 kilometres.

India is in the process of further strengthening its strategic missiles arsenal by adopting newer technologies and capabilities.

India Test-Fires BrahMos Extended-Range Missile From Sukhoi Fighter Jet

NEW DELHI, May 12: An extended range version of the BrahMos supersonic missile was successfully test fired from a Su-30 MKI fighter aircraft today.

"The launch from the aircraft was as planned and the missile achieved a direct hit on the designated target in the Bay of Bengal region," the defence ministry said in a statement.

BrahMos missile flies at a speed of 2.8 Mach or almost three times the speed of sound.

The range of the advanced version of the missile is learnt to have been extended to around 350 km from the original 290 km.

This was the first instance of the extended range version of the missile being fired from a Su-30MKI aircraft. The extended-range capability of the missile coupled with the high performance of the Su-30MKI aircraft gives the Indian Air Force a strategic reach and allows it to dominate future battlefields.

"With this (test-firing), the IAF has achieved the capability to carry out precision strikes from Su-30MKI aircraft against a land/ sea target over very long ranges," the ministry said.

Last month, the Indian Navy successfully test-fired an anti-ship version of the Brahmos missile.

BrahMos Aerospace, an India-Russian joint venture, produces supersonic cruise missiles that can be launched from submarines, ships, aircraft, or land platforms.