Wednesday, November 25, 2009

Indian Test-Fire of Medium-Range Missile Fails


NEW DELHI: India's first nighttime test of a medium-range missile was a failure, missing its target, a defense ministry official said Tuesday.

India test fired the surface-to-surface "Agni-II (Fire) missile from Wheelers Island in the eastern state of Orissa on Monday.

"It could not hit the target," the official told The Associated Press is a condition of anonymity in line with ministry rules.

"The liftoff was smooth, even the first stage of separation was smooth. But there was some problem during the second stage of separation and it deviated from its path coordinated," the official said.

The Agni-II, with a range of up to 1.250 miles (2,000 kilometers), is capable of carrying both conventional and nuclear warheads weighing up to 2.200 pounds (1,000 Kilograms), the official said.

India has a variety of missiles including the short-range Prithvi ballistic missile, the medium-range Akash, and the supersonic Brahmos.

India's missiles are mostly intended for any Confrontation with archrival Neighboring Pakistan, but the Agni-II can put areas in southern China within striking range.

India's previous missile tests have been done during the day.

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