From News Dispaches NEW DELHI: The impact of Agni in the Bay of Bengal was “embarrassingly accurate” and it is possible that defence scientists may be ready for its production sooner than thought earlier it was indicated here on Friday.
Addressing a news conference VS. Arunachalam scientific adviser to the Defense Minister, said the accuracy (of Agni) far exceeded what we thought we could achieve.
The decision to produce the missile would have to be political it was stated.
Arunachalam who was accompanied by Dr. A.P_J Abdul Kalam, director of the country’s guided missile programme and R.N. Agrawal project director of Agni said the range of the missile would be 1500 km with a heavy payload and 2500 km with a moderate payload.
Dr. Kalam said it would be possible to base Agni on wheeled vehicles to give it mobility escape attack on itself. It would enable it to missile weighs 14.2 tonnes and has a height of 19 metres and a diameter of one metre.
Defence scientists had planned three test launches of the missile but if the results of the first test launch indicated that all systems had performed to expectations then further test launches could be reduced, Dr. Kalam said. The scientists declined to give the exact distance the first missile went but said it was about 1000 kms in the Bay of Bengal.
Asked whether Agni was designed for a nuclear warhead Dr. Kalam said missiles generally were becoming more and more accurate which meant they could be loaded with a conventional warhead. “The future will be higher accuracies with conventional warheads,” Dr. Kalam said, and added he personally was against nuclear weapons.
Article extracted from this publication >> June 9, 1989
