Agni prime

• A variant of Agni-I will be flight tested from a defence facility off the Odisha coast any time between June 28 and 29.
• Agni-Prime will be a third-generation missile that was developed with a 1000-1500 km range.
• Agni Prime has been developed with the cutting-edge technologies used in 4000-km range Agni-IV and 5000-km Agni-V missiles.

• It is a two-stage and solid-fuelled missile.
• Both stages have composite rocket motors and guidance systems are equipped with electromechanical actuators.
• It is capable of carrying a conventional payload of 1,000 kg (2,200 lb) or a nuclear warhead.
• It will have a canister version to bring down the time required to launch the missile.
• It will have the flexibility to be fired from both road and rail-mobile launchers.
• Agni Prime will weigh less than the previous version of the missile due to the composite materials used.
• It will be guided by inertial navigation systems based on advanced ring-laser gyroscopes.

Agni-I:

• India’s first intermediate-range ballistic missile
• First test-fired in May 1989
• Strike range of 700 km to 900 km
• Inducted in the armed forces in 2004.
• The Agni Prime is expected to replace the Agni-I missile
• India has five missiles in its most ambitious Agni series.