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MUMBAI. — India test-fired its nuclear capable missile Agni-II yesterday from an island of eastern Indian state of Odisha coast, local media reported. The test was conducted from Wheeler’s Island in Bhadrak district, around 200km from Bhubaneswar, by army personnel as part of routine user-trials, a defence official said.

Prasad, director of the Integrated Test Range, said, “The test was successful.”

The medium-range missile with a range of over 2 000km has already been inducted into the army, and is part of the Strategic Forces arsenal for nuclear deterrence. The two-stage surface-to-surface missile, equipped with an advanced high-accuracy navigation system and guided by a novel state-of-the-art command and control system, is powered by a solid rocket propellant system.

The missile weighs 17 tons and its range can be increased to 3000 km by reducing the payload. It can be fired from both rail and road mobile launchers. It takes only 15 minutes for the missile to be readied for firing. —Xinhua.