Delhi prepares to test-fire Agni-III

Bhubaneswar : India is making elaborate preparations to test its longest-range nuclear capable missile Agni III from a defence base in Orissa this week, military sources said yesterday.

Agni-III, one of the Agni series missiles, is capable of carrying warheads weighing up to 1.5 tonnes, is 16 metres tall and weighs 48 tonnes. It can hit a target located at a distance of up to 3,000 km.

Gathering

Many scientists have gathered at the Integrated Test Range of Chandipur for the test, which sources say will be conducted from the Inner Wheeler Island - a launch site in Balasore district off the Orissa coast, some 230 km from here.