Balasore (Orissa): India's surface-to-surface missile Agni-II was test fired today (Aug 29, 2004) from the Integrated Test Range (ITR) at Wheelers' island in the Bay of Bengal off the Orissa coast, Defence sources said.

The sleek missile roared into the sky from a mobile launcher at launch complex-4 of ITR at 12.55 pm under an overcast sky leaving behind a trail of white smoke.

The Defence Minister Pranab Mukherjee, Scientific Advisor to the Defence Ministry, V K Atre and Project Director, Agni, R N Agrawal along with over 100 Defence scientists were present at the launch complex to witness the test firing of the missile.

This is the third test flight of Agni II developed by the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO). The first experiment was conducted on April 11, 1999 and second on January 17, 2001.

Agni II, an intermediate range ballistic missile, has a range of 2000 to 2500 km which can carry both conventional as well as nuclear warheads weighing upto 1,000 kg.