Agni-II
Agni-II is a two-stage solid propellant ballistic missile with a launch weight of 17 tons, a diameter of 1m and length of 20 m.
Recent press reports refer to Agni-II as a 19 ton missile with a diameter of 1.3 m and length of 21 m.
The missile can be launched within 15 minutes.
Capabilities
It can hit targets between 1,550 and 1,860 miles away with a 2,200-pound payload.
Considering that a nuclear warhead weighs around 1,200-pound, the missile could hit targets at much higher ranges.
Developed by Defense Research and Development Organization (DRDO), the missile is part of the Agni series which includes Agni-I (700 km range) and Agni-III (3,500 km range).
Operational Status
Agni-I, and Agni-II have already been inducted by the Indian Strategic Forces and Agni-III is in the process of induction.
The Agni II missile equips the Strategic Forces 555 Missile Group.
New Version - Agni-II A(2)?
In 2008 there were news reports that a new version of Agni II is being developed under the stewardship of Dr Tessy Thomas who had been appointed project director in May 2008.
Tessy was earlier associate project director of the 3,000-km range Agni-III project.
Agni-II was originally developed as a two stage solid propellant missile that could carry a 1000 kg warhead. However, since its conception and design, India developed and tested much lighter warheads that packed the same punch as the original 1000 kg warhead, allowing the missile to carry extra propellant.
The missile is now rumored to carry extra fuel and a high altitude motor in its re-entry vehicle (RV) to allow for greater range or terminal maneuvering.
The reference to "special weapons" and on-board thrusters in an Indian Express report probably allude to a maneuvering or extended range warhead.
Tests
The missile has been tested four times: On April 11, 1999, January 17, 2001, August 29, 2004 and May 19, 2009.
The August 29, 2004 test appeared to be a depressed trajectory test.
The test on May 19, 2009, which failed, served to train the Strategic Force in independently operating the missile as well as to evaluate a new navigation system.
Both the above tests were done using rail mobile launchers.
During the test on May 19, the missile wandered 180 degrees off track and plunged into the sea after 127 seconds having covered 203 km.
The limited number of tests so far and the long gaps between them probably indicate that it is still under development.
Fifth Test
A fifth test of the missile was conducted from a rail mobile system in launch complex-4 of Integrated Test Range (ITR) at Wheeler Island at about 7.50 pm on Monday, November 23.
The night launch of the missile, dubbed as 'user trial' by DRDO, proved an embarrassing failure.
It was the second successive failure in five tests over 10 years.
"The liftoff and the first stage separation was smooth. But it faltered just before the second stage separation and behaved erratically, deviating from its coordinated path. Further analysis is on to ascertain the cause," a source told the TOI.
An official told the Indian Express:
Like the unsuccessful previous test on May 19, this time too the missile developed technical glitches at the stage separation phase. Although it crossed the first stage separation phase, because of inherent problem it had cumulative effects on other systems."
According to the official the aerodynamic control system that controls the missiles control fins locked, plunging the missile into the sea.
During the May trial the missile started wandering midway before falling, but this time it directly plunged into the sea. In fact it was one of the worst trials ever, he said.
Besides, the India-made inertial navigation system (INS) that guided the missile on its coordinated path by mid-way corrections also failed to provide the desired levels of performance. Significantly, during the developmental trials (all successful) foreign made INS used to be fitted into the missile, he pointed out.
Post-mission analysis (PMA) established the missile covered just 97 km in nearly 41 seconds.
The test on Monday was originally scheduled to take place between November 3 and 8 but had to be postponed because of a glitch in the pneumatic system of the missile launcher.
Failure Cause Identified
Failure of the flex nozzle on the second stage to function properly lead to the erratic flight of the missile during its fifth test. A similar failure had occurred during the first Agni-III ( 3,500 km range) flight in July 2006.
Two Additional Test Planned
Two additional tests of the missile are planned in the coming months according to DRDO officials. (December 13, 2009).
