India Test-Fires 2,000-Km Range Nuclear Capable Agni-II Missile

India today successfully test-fired its nuclear capable Agni-II missile, which has a strike range of 2,000 km, from the Abdul Kalam Island.

The 20-metre long Agni-II is a medium-range ballistic missile with a launch weight of 17 tonnes and is capable of carrying a payload of 1,000 kg.

Today's test was carried out from a mobile launcher by the Army's Strategic Forces Command, which is entrusted with the management of India’s nukes. The missile has already been inducted into the services. The first prototype of the Agni-II missile was launched on 11 April 1999 while the last launch was conducted on 4 May 2017.

This test comes soon after the test of 4,000-km range nuclear-capable Agni-IV ballistic missile conducted in January as part of the user training exercise.

The missile is part of the Agni series, which includes the 700-km range Agni-I, 3.000-km range Agni-III, 4,000-km range Agni-IV and 5,500-km range Agni-V.