Agni-IV successfully test fired from APJ Abdul Kalam Island off Odisha coast

Nuclear strategic ballistic missile Agni-IV was successfully test fired off Odisha coast on Sunday morning. The launch took place from the integrated test range at APJ Abdul Kalam Island off Odisha coast at 8.30 am. The missile has a 4000-km strike range and is a two-stage missile. It is 20- meter-long weighing 17 tonne. The sleek Agni-IV missile is equipped with state-of-the-art Avionics, 5th generation on-board computer and distributed architecture. It has the latest features to correct and guide itself for in-flight disturbances. Agni 4 was first test-fired on 20 January 2014. The missile includes indigenously developed ring laser gyro and composite rocket motor. The two-stage Intermediate Range Ballistic Missile, IRBM can take a nuclear warhead of one tonne. 

India has in its armoury the Agni missile series -- Agni-1 with a range of 700 km, Agni-2 with a range of 2,000 km, Agni-3 and Agni-4 with 2,500 km to more than 3,500 km range.

The Agni-5 is the latest and most advanced variant in terms of navigation and guidance, warhead and engine.

"The high-speed on-board computer and fault-tolerant software, along with robust and reliable bus guided the (Agni-5) missile flawlessly (during the test)," an official said.

The missile is programmed in such a way that after reaching the peak of its trajectory, it turns towards the earth to continue its journey to the target with an increased speed, due to the earth's gravitational pull, and its path precisely directed by the advanced on-board computer and inertial navigation system.