India test-fires n-capable Agni-IV

India on Tuesday successfully test-fired Agni-IV,a surface-to-surface nuclear-capable ballistic missile with a range of about 3,500 km,from Wheeler Island off Orissa.

The missile,codenamed A4-0001,was launched from a road mobile system at 9 am. The missile with a payload of 800 kg had a textbook trajectory and reached a height of about 900 km and the pre-designated target in the Bay of Bengal,said officials of Defence Research Development Organisation.

The missile was tested for a range of 3,000 km. The two-stage surface-to-surface missile is 20 metres tall and weighs 17 tonnes.

The Advanced Missile Laboratory,Hyderabad,has designed and developed the missile.

Dr V K Saraswat,scientific advisor to the Defence Minister,said the successful launch of Agni-IV paved the way for the success of Agni-V which would be test-fired next month.