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Agni II test put off till further orders

The test of the extended-range surface-to-surface Agni II intermediate-range ballistic missile has been postponed till further orders.

Sources in Balasore said Defence Minister George Fernandes, his scientific adviser Dr A P J Abdul Kalam, and senior defence ministry officers visited the Inner Wheeler Island off the Orissa coast in the Bay of Bengal today, from where Agni II was to have been fired.

Fernandes and Kalam held discussions with senior scientists on the island and decided to postpone the test.

Meanwhile, the indigenously built multi-barrel rocket launcher Pinaka was successfully tested at the Interim Test Range at Chandipur-on-sea.

Official sources said Pinaka was fired twice at 1310 IST and 1315 IST.

The rocket launcher, which has a range of 39km, can fire a salvo of 12 rockets within 44 seconds.

The complete system comprises a launch vehicle, a loader-cum-replenishment vehicle, and a command post vehicle with a battery of six launchers.

Pinaka can neutralise a target area of 350 square kilometres. It can be fitted with a variety of warheads ranging from blast-cum-pre-fragmented high explosives to anti-tank mines.

Preparations are now on at the ITR for test-firing Dhanush.

UNI

EARLIER REPORT:
India denies developing ICBMs through Agni

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