Darth Vader
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HYDERABAD: The Strategic Forces Command (SFC) can now independently fire the 700-km range nuclear capable Agni-1 missile when the occasion arises. The SFC will need no help from defence scientists as the test firing of the missile from the Integrated Test Range (ITR) at Wheeler island, Balasore in Odisha on Friday demonstrated that SFC had acquired complete knowledge of it.
The SFC which forms part of the Nuclear Command Authority (NCA) in the country is the agency that will have to use the missiles if need arises.
"When the test firing was carried out by the SFC, we were merely spectators. The DRDO has developed the technology and the production facility of the missiles is in place. The SFC now has the capability to fire the missiles," DRDO chief and scientific advisor to defence minister, V K Saraswat told STOI by phone from Balasore immediately after the test firing of the Agni-I.
Saraswat said the Agni-1 missile would add strength to the defence capabilities of the country. "There are no more improvements needed for the Agni-1 as such but we have our own plans of developing variants," Saraswat said.
In December last year, the Agni-1 was test fired by the Army as part of the training to be able to use the missile on its own. The Friday's testing fire was one more trial carried out by the user to the satisfaction of the defence scientists. "Our satisfaction is complete," Saraswat said about the way defence personnel had gone about the task of test firing the indigenous missile.
Avinash Chander, chief controller of R&D (missiles and strategic systems) and director of Advanced Systems Laboratory (ASL), Hyderabad, described the test firing of the missile by the Strategic Forces Command (SFC) on Friday as a 'major step' in the preparation of the use of the weapon. He said the missile that was test fired was taken from the production line.
Agni-1 is a 12-tonne, 15-metre long surface-to-surface ballistic missile which can carry payloads up to 1,000 kg.
It may be mentioned here that the missile has been developed at the missile complex in Hyderabad with the Advanced Systems Laboratory (ASL), Defence Research and Development Laboratory (DRDL) and Research Centre Imarat being involved in it. The production of the missile is also being done by the Bharat Dynamics Limited in Hyderabad.
The Agni-1 missile was successfully flight tested from the launch complex at Wheeler's island off the coast of Bay of Bengal in Odisha. The missile took off at 10.06 am from a road mobile launcher and followed the path perfectly computed by the explicit guidance running in the state of art On Board Computers (OBC). Defence scientists said the missile reached the target point in the Bay of Bengal with a zero accuracy as witnessed by two naval ships located near the target.
The missile test fired by the Strategic Forces Command as part of the routine training exercise met all the mission objectives. The Inertial Navigation System (INS) performed excellently and navigated the missile within a few meters from the intended target point. The Electro Optic Tracking System (EOTS) radars located all along the coast traced the missile and monitored all the parameters in real time.
