India successfully test fires Agni IV missile

Bhubaneswar : India on Monday successfully test fired the nuclear-capable Agni IV ballistic missile from the Abdul Kalam Island off the Odisha coast. The missile was launched at about 11.50 a.m., from a mobile launcher off the Balasore coast, defence sources said. This is sixth test of the missile and second user associate launch. The two-stage solid-propelled, surface-to-surface ballistic missile is designed to carry a 1-tonne payload to a distance of 4,000 km. The test comes within a week of the successful test firing of Agni V intercontinental ballistic missile. The Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) has designed and developed the missile. The missiles length is 20 meters and launches weight 17 tonnes. It is equipped with state-of-the-art technologies, which include indigenously developed ring laser gyro and composite rocket motor. Agni-IV has undergone one failed and five successful tests over the course of five years, said sources.-Agency