India may test fire Agni II missile Thursday

India may test fire its nuclear capable Agni-II strategic ballistic missile Thursday from a base in Odisha, official sources said Wednesday.

The test is likely to be conducted from Wheeler’s Island in Bhadrak district, about 200 km from here, by army personnel as part of a training exercise.

The medium-range missile with a range of over 2,000 km has been already inducted and is part of Strategic Forces arsenal for nuclear deterrence.

The two-stage missile, equipped with an advanced high-accuracy navigation system and guided by a novel state-of-the-art command and control system, is powered by a solid rocket propellant system.

The Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) first tested the Agni-II in 1999. Since then it has been tested several times.