New Delhi: India is developing surface-to-surface 'Agni-III' missile with a range of more than 3,000 kms and it is likely to be test-fired before the end of the year, scientific adviser to the Defence Minister V K Aatre said on January 11.

"The development of Agni-III is on. It is being designed to hit targets at a distance of more than 3,000 kms. We will hopefully test-fire it before the end of the year," he said on the sidelines of a seminar on Defence and internal security on the concluding day of a three-day non-resident Indian NRI convention.

Aatre also announced that surface-to-surface missile 'Agni-I', which was test-fired on Thursday last, is ready for induction into the armed forces.

Agni-I, which has a strike range of 700 to 800 kms, has been tested twice from a launch pad in Orissa.

Asked if two tests were enough for Agni-I's induction, Aatre said, "It is part of the Agni series of missiles which have been tested eight times. We do not need more than the tests we have conducted."

Aatre, who is also secretary, Department of Defence, Research and Development, said, "We have finished all development trials of Agni-1. It can be inducted anytime." Nuclear-capable Agni-I can carry a payload of one tonne.

He told reporters that the ship-borne version of 'BRAHMOS', a supersonic cruise missile, will be tested for the first time in the second half of this month.

'BRAHMOS', jointly developed by India and Russia, has a range of about 290 kms. It has been test-fired twice before.

At the interactive session on 'Opportunities in Defence and Internal Security – Research and Development', he said India is capable of developing missiles having ranges between 3,500 and 14,000 kms.

"Missiles with ranges between 3,500 and 14,000 kms do not involve much of a change. We have the technology to do it," he said but added that India probably did not need such long-range missiles.

PTI