India on Thursday test-fired its nuclear-capable Agni-III ballistic missile — a day after Pakistan successfully conducted a training launch of Ghauri Missile system.
The Agni missile was launched with a range of over 3000km from a base in Odisha. The surface-to-surface missile was fired from a launch complex at the Inner Wheeler Island off the coast of Dhamra in Bhadrak district, about 200km from Bhubaneswar.
Agni-III is capable of carrying warheads weighing up to 1.5 tonnes. The missile is 16 metres in length and 48 tonnes in weight. Further, it has a two-stage solid propellant system; it can enter the atmosphere at a very high velocity.
Agni-III is a rail mobile system capable missile and can be launched from anywhere in India.
On Wednesday, Pakistan successfully test-fired the Ghauri missile which is capable of carrying both conventional and nuclear warheads up to a distance of 1300km, bringing many Indian cities under its range.
