New Delhi: India may test-fire a series of its most lethal surface-to-surface 3,000 km range ballistic missile Agni III anytime this year, the country's top Defence scientist V K Atre indicated today (Mar 23, 2004).

To ensure that the tests are conducted without any hitch, Atre said that Defence scientists are taking "no chances" for its launch.

"We have put in operation elaborate plans that the test firing is successful," Atre said indicating that the announcement of the tests of the completely solid fuel missile would be made only after it was launched.

"Any failure in the launch would be a great setback to the Defence scientists" Atre said on the sidelines of a conference on DRDO's (Defence Research Development Organization) advent in life sciences. The Defence scientists were working overtime to ensure a flawless launch of the missile, he said.

On the recent tests of the upgraded version of Prithvi II, Atre said these missiles with an enhanced range of 250 kms were test fired successfully using indigenous global positioning system (GPS) to give them greater accuracy.

He rejected that there was any move to change the propellants of the Prithvi missile from liquid to solid, saying such shorter-range missiles were more accurate with liquid fuel.

He also said that tests of the indigenous Light Combat Aircraft, Tejas were on schedule and the fifth technology demonstrator aircraft would soon joint tests flights.