Agni IRBM to be test fired soon

The Government of India has issued the necessary warning notices to aviators as well as mariners in the designated testing area. Sources in the Ministry of Defence (MoD) confirmed that the internationally required Notices to Aviators and Mariners (NOTAM) and Navigational Area (NAVAREA) warning have been promulgated. The NAVAREA warning in the approximate splashdown area is from March 4 till March 7.

"We have promulgated the NAVAREA warning for the designated splashdown region," said the MoDsources. NOTAMs and NAVAREA warnings are issued on internationally designated frequencies on the radio communication sets for all aircraft overflying the area and ships sailing in the region. "NOTAMs and/or NAVAREA warnings are issued to all aircraft and ships likely to cross the designated area by any country which is conducting any missile tests. This includes merchant as well as naval vessels. And it is an internationally agreed upon protocol, so as to avoid any accident on account of the firing," said the MoD sources.

This will be the first flight test in five years, and only the fourth thus far of the Agni IRBM programme. The then government had wound up the Agni programme in 1994 declaring it a "technology demonstrator" and had met all the earmarked requirements. Subsequent governments had also maintained the same line until the former Defence minister Mulayam Singh Yadav declared that the `Agni would be productionised if and when required’.

The two stage liquid-solid fuelled IRBM has been testfired to a range of 1,500 km. While one test was a failure on account of separation problems between the liquid first stage and solid second stage, the other tests were regarded as successes.

The current flight tests are reportedly of the later versions of the Agni. "This was displayed on January 26 Republic Day Parade as the Agni II. It is in fact an almost new system," said the MoD sources. While its designated range has been disclosed as 2,500 km, its other performance parameters are as yet unknown. South Block sources are tight-lipped over payload, accuracy and launch platforms. "This is just the first test of this new version, so we cannot say if it will be launched from a mobile platform. After all multiple tests are required for any system to be completely ready," said an MoD source.