Agni-II | Missiles of the World | India Agni-II | About Agni 2

The Agni-II is an Indian medium-range ballistic missile (MRBM) with a range of over 2,000 km. The two-stage, solid-fueled missile entered service with India’s Strategic Forces Command in 2004.

1. Agni-II at a GlanceORIGINATED FROM
2. IndiaCLASS
3. Medium-range ballistic missile (MRBM)POSSESSED BY
4. IndiaBASING
5. Road/rail-mobileLENGTH
6. 20 mDIAMETER
7. 1 mLAUNCH WEIGHT
8. 17,000 kgPAYLOAD
9. Single warhead, 1,000 kgWARHEAD
10. Nuclear 150 kt or 200kt, HEPROPULSION
11. Two-stage, solid propellantRANGE
12. 2,000 – 3,500 kmSTATUS
13. OperationalIN SERVICE 2004

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Agni-II evolutionIn July 1997, India's Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) began work on the Agni-II. It's an improved version of the DRDO's Agni technological demonstrator, complete with a solid-fueled upper stage and new propellant. On April 11, 1999, India conducted the first Agni-II test. According to reports, the test, which took conducted from a rail-mobile launcher, was a success.

On January 17, 2001, India performed a second Agni-II flight test after initiating limited manufacture of the missile. The missile was brought into service by India's armed forces in 2004, although technical concerns delayed full operational capability until 2011. The Agni-II has now been completely incorporated into Indian Army formations under the Strategic Forces Command. In 2010, a flight test of an extended-range derivative that became the Agni-IV failed.

Agni-II ConceptThe Agni-II is 20 metres long, 1 metre in diameter, and weighs 17,000 kilogrammes at launch. It can transport a payload of up to 1,000 kg across a distance of 2,000 kilometres, most likely a nuclear weapon with a yield of 150 to 200 kilotons. The two-stage, solid-fueled missile is guided by an inertial/GPS navigation system and is said to be accurate to 40 m circular error probable (CEP). The missile is outfitted with a finned manoeuvring reentry vehicle that may be supplied with a terminal guidance system.

The Agni-II PrimeIndia performed a failed flight test of an enhanced Agni-II model in 2010. This type is also known as the Agni-IV. The Agni-IV is made up of a steel-cased, 1.2-meter-diameter first-stage booster and a carbon-fiber-cased, 1-meter-diameter second-stage booster. Over the original SLV-3-derived booster, both motors use a simpler thrust vectoring system with gimbaled thrusters.