India conducts 1st night trial of nuclear capable Agni-III missile #Nuclear #Missile #Sukumarbalakrishnan

The first night trial of nuclear capable long-range ballistic missile Agni-III was conducted by India from the Abdul Kalam Island off Odisha coast on Saturday.

The first night trial of the missile was conducted by the Strategic Forces Command of the Indian Army from launch pad-IV of the Integrated Test Range in Bhadrak district at 7.17 pm, said defence sources.

As per Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), Agni-III is considered to be core of India's nuclear arsenal.
The armed forces introduced the missile in June 2011.

It has a strike range of 3,000 km to 5,000 km and is efficient of carrying both conventional and nuclear warheads weighing up to 1.5 tonnes.

The missile is powered by a two-stage solid propellant engine. It is 17 metres long with two-metre diameter and weighs around 2,200 kg.