Agni - II Agni ( " fire " ) , is a strategic ballistic missile . The Agni missile family is envisaged to be the mainstay of the Indian missile - based strategic nuclear deterrence . The Agni - II is a medium range ballistic missile ( MRBM ) with two solid fuel stages and a Post Boost Vehicle ( PBV ) integrated into the missile ' s Re - entry Vehicle ( RV ) . The Agni ' s manoeuvring RV is made of a carbon - carbon composite material that is light and able to sustain high thermal stresses of re - entry , in a variety of trajectories . The Agni - IIA is a more advanced version of Agni - II , albeit with more sophisticated and lighter materials , yielding a better range and operating regime . Agni - IIA was later renamed as Agni - IV plugging the gap between Agni - II and Agni - III . While the first test of Agni - IV in December 2010 was a failure , the second test flight in November 2011 was a success Agni - II , developed as part of medium and long range Agni series of missile systems , has already been inducted into the Armed Forces . On 17 May 2010 , the trial was conducted with a special strategic command force ( SSC ) of nuclear - capable Agni - II ballistic missile , with a range of 2 , 000 kilometres from the Wheelers Island off Orissa coast thus making Agni - II missile operational by army . The missiles are operated by the 335 Missile Group at Secunderabad using 12 TEL vehicles . Preface : Evolving Indian Security Environment . During the 1990s , India ' s security situation gradually worsened with security challenges from China , blatant Chinese nuclear and missiles proliferation to Pakistan , and mutual proliferation between Pakistan and North Korea . The strategic redline was crossed in 1998 when Pakistan tested nuclear capable Ghauri missile , that could threaten India ' s heartland . The international complicity in allowing nuclear proliferation by proxy into the hands of Pakistan and ability to deliver it over long ranges , obtained by trading in black - market North Korean No - Dong missiles , in return for Pakistani nuclear design and enrichment equipment by the nuclear and missile black - market run by Pakistani scientist A . Q . Khan and the Pakistani Military . These developments forced India to go fully nuclear , resulting in the Pokhran - II nuclear test series and its weaponisation by developing the Agni family of ballistic missiles that could deliver a variety of payloads over long ranges . Quick deployment of the Agni - II was possible , by building on the earlier Agni - TD program that provided proven critical technologies and designs required for long range ballistic missiles . Thus when the decision was made to build the Agni weapon system , some quick optimisation and ruggedisation was done to the basic ' 1980 vintage ' design , including a solid fuelled second stage . The re - entry vehicle ( RV ) and avionics were brought up to state - of - the - art levels . The Pokhran - II nuclear test proved a family of more powerful and lighter nuclear weapons ; the 200 kt thermonuclear weapon is far lighter compared to 1 , 000 kg earlier budgeted for the 200 kt boosted nuclear weapon . Thus a high yield weapon configuration now assumes a payload of 500 kg , including weapon and RV . However , in the interest of rapid development , the basic design that was earlier developed continued to be used , keeping the future option open for more optimised missile design and lighter payload . Testing . The Agni - II was first tested on 11 April 1999 at 9 : 47 am IST ( Indian Standard Time ) , from a converted rail carriage , with a carriage roof that slides open to allow the missile to be raised to the vertical for launch by two large hydraulic pistons . The launch process is controlled from a separate railcar . The missile was launched from the IC - 4 pad at Wheeler Island , Balasore . Splash down was 2 , 000 – 2 , 100 km . down range in the Bay of Bengal , on a trajectory designed to simulate a range of 2 , 800 – 3 , 000 km . The Agni - II missile can also be launched from a road TEL vehicle , as demonstrated in the second test flight on 17 January 2001 , at 10 : 01 am IST ( Indian Standard Time ) to a range of 2 , 100 km . This missile has a theoretical maximum range of some 3 , 000 km with a 1 , 000 kg payload ( conventional or strategic ) . Tested to range of over 2 , 000 km , the Agni - II has an all - solid propellant system . After the 17 January test , the missile was cleared for production and it is possible that a production capacity ( under - utilised at present ) exists for 12 Agni - II missiles per year . On 17 January test , the missile was alleged to have covered a range of over 2 , 100 km with a 700 kg warhead . The Agni - II is designed to be launched from a rail - mobile launcher , but it is also available in road - mobile configuration . This lends flexibility and reduces vulnerability to first strike . The Agni - II is always in a ready - to - fire mode and can be launched within 15 minutes as compared to the almost half - of - a - day preparation time for the previous generation Agni - TD . In May 2001 , and again in July 2001 , the then - incumbent Defence Minister Jaswant Singh informed the Cabinet Committee on Security ( CCS ) that the Agni - II missile is operational , limited production had begun and induction being planned during 2001 – 2002 . On 14 March 2002 , Defence Minister George Fernandes informed Indian Parliament that the Agni - II has entered the production phase and is under induction . Agni - II is made by BDL in Hyderabad , with a production capacity of 18 missiles / year and costs about 35 crore for each missile . On 19 May 2009 , user trial of Agni - II was undertaken by Indian Army , while DRDO scientists provided required logistical support . The Agni - II missile was tested at 1006 hrs IST from a defence base in Orissa . The missile was test fired from launch pad - 4 from Integrated Test Range . Integrated Test Range is the missile testing facility on the Wheeler Island , near Dhamara in the district of Bhadrak . Initially it was announced by Indian media that India has successfully tested the nuclear capable Agni - II missile from a defence base in Orissa . According to official sources , the aim of the test was to give the Indian Army confidence to fire the missile on its own . The May 2009 test however ended in failure of the Agni II when the second stage failed to operate correctly and the missile started to veer wildly off course . In a subsequent re - test at night time on Nov 2009 , the missile once again failed completely at the second stage , this time dropping directly into the sea . On 17 May 2010 , the missile was flight - tested successfully from Wheeler Island off the Orissa coast . The flight lasted 660 seconds , with the missile achieving its full range , after which it splashed into the sea at the predesignated target . A new navigation system which provides better accuracy as well as the capability , to manoeuvre and defeat anti - ballistic missiles was tested during the trial . This was a training trial by the Indian Army . On 30 September 2011 another successful launch of Agni - II was conducted from Balasore , Orissa . The missile was fired from a rail mobile launcher and struck target 2000 km away within 10 minutes of launch , meeting all the performance parameters of the mission such as velocity , terminal phase , trajectory and destruction of the warhead . Another test was done on 9 August 2012 , when the missile was successfully launched from Orissa by the Strategic Forces Command as a part of a training exercise . On Sunday , 7 April 2013 , India again test fired Agni - 2 ballistic missile with range of more than 2000 km , from Wheeler Island , Odisha at 10 : 20 AM . The test was carried out by the Strategic Forces Command of the Indian Army as part of training exercise with logistic support provided by the DRDO . The test was a complete success as per Mr . Prasad , the director of Integrated Test Range . Propulsion . First Stage : The Agni - II ' s first stage uses solid fuel propellant . Second Stage : The Agni - II ' s second stage weighs around 4 , 200 kg and uses solid fuel propellant . The case is presumably made of the same material , ( high - strength 15CDV6 steel ) as the booster stage for ease of manufacturing . This solid propellant stage has flex nozzles for thrust vectoring , enabling precise trajectory control . Unlike the Agni - TD , the solid fuel second stage does not require retro motors for proper stage separation . It uses a vented inter - stage . Manoeuvring Re - Entry Vehicle : Agni RV Mk 2 . The 1980 - vintage RV was reportedly designed to be able to carry a BARC - developed , boosted nuclear weapon of 200 kt yield weighing 1 , 000 kg , also of 1980 vintage design . After making room for new and lighter Indian thermonuclear weapon payload , of 1995 vintage design , the MRV has room for about 200 kg ( estimated ) liquid fuel in pressurised vessels . Although for velocity correction , approximately 50 to 80 kg is estimated to be sufficient . At least one MRV variant type uses a set of solid fuelled cartridges for velocity trimming . The RV is reported to have an attitude control system and aerodynamic manoeuvre fins . Unlike the Agni - II , the RV of Agni - I does not have fins , indicating use of a new method for RV manoeuvring , presumably to make missile defence more difficult . Reports suggest that an improved optical or radar terminal phase correlation system has been developed to provide accuracy of around 40 meters CEP , although later reports have suggested that the accuracy was around 100 to 200 meters CEP . The RV largely inherits the basic shape , design and technology of the earlier Mk . 1 RV of the Agni - TD . Agni is unlike long - range missiles developed by western missiles where the RV is a passive ballistic load , whose accuracy depends on the launching vehicle ' s exact insertion into the sub - orbital trajectory . A large inaccuracy associated with the first generation RV involved spinning the RV for greater stability during re - entry . Second generation western missiles were mostly MIRV ( Multiple Independently targetable Re - entry Vehicle ) and the accuracy was greatly improved by the payload bus with HAM velocity correction package for more accurate sub - orbit insertion . It also allowed individual MIRV payloads to impart different velocities , so that each can be independently targeted to a different target , albeit in nearby vicinity of each other . As before , the RV continued to be passive and purely ballistic . The Agni - RV Mk 2 is more advanced than the western RVs , because it embodies proposition , navigation and control all the way to the target . The RV re - enters at an altitude of 100 km , at a shallow angle , with a gliding trajectory . However it does not carry a MIRV payload , which is not to be intended to mean that India does not have the technology : the country launched and accurately placed ten satellites in a single launch in 2007 , on its PSLV space vehicle , which was the first evidence of the country having revealed its expertise in this arena . Avionics , Navigation and Control . The Agni family of missiles uses a strap - down INS system for flight control and navigation . Necessary inertial sensors were indigenously developed for the purpose , including laser rate gyros . Agni - II introduced a new concept in missile control system by adopting MIL - STD - 1553 databus for all on - board communication and control device interconnection mainly INS system , Flight Control Computer , actuators and sensors . It is the standard that is adopted in new civilian & military aircraft ( circuit routing and device mounting ) and all the software in the Agni - II has been designed around this bus . DRDO sources claim that this reduces the number of connections and also makes the missile more rugged . However , some missile analysts feel that a standard databus may not be the best path to follow . It is said that a customised databus is better because in a standard databus , one tends to use off - the - shelf electronic devices whose performance may not be optimal . However most new missiles are moving towards digital buses using commercial off - the - shelf technology and which enables affordable sub - system replacement . Accuracy . The Agni - II ' s navigation and aiming uses an advanced ground based beacon system using a TDOA ( Time Delay Of Arrival ) technique , similar to a GPS system , that constantly provides missile flight position and velocity updates and has been proven in test flights . The TDOA system reportedly improved the accuracy by three times . India has demonstrated a measure of mastery in navigation sensors and flight control through its space program . The placement accuracy in GTO ( involving powered flight of 1 , 000 seconds much of it in sub - G or gravity free environment ) is far more complicated and delicate than that of the sub - orbital trajectory of an IRBM . Thus the GSLV - D2 and F01 GTO Apogee accuracy of 1965 PPM and 361 PPM respectively that compares with Agni - II ' s 40 meter CEP at IRBM ranges with 13 PPM accuracy . It is worthwhile to note that INS error differs for a ballistic missile versus an aircraft . Ballistic missile accuracy is only dependent on the INS accuracy up to the point when rocket fuel is expended ( 100 seconds for Agni - II ) and it exits the atmosphere ( > 90 km altitude ) , after that the trajectory is purely ballistic that is predetermined and easily computed . INS in a combat aircraft requires continuous operation of IMU and navigation computer throughout the flight during which the error keeps building as IMU sensors drift . A ballistic missile that can update its position and velocity from auxiliary means , can completely eliminate the built up error from INS and continue flight at a precise predetermined path , if necessary correcting the launch error by using : The Agni - II missile reportedly makes use of both the above techniques . The Agni - II exits atmosphere and expends the second stage at an altitude of 120 km and at a distance of about 150 km . This allows the ground based TDOA system to operate well within Indian Territory and at close range ( i . e . robustness against Electronic Warfare interference ) . The missile maintains LOS ( line of sight ) well beyond apogee . The overall accuracy is the cumulated sum of : Launching the Agni from a surveyed site is one aspect of item 1 above . The sub - meter target coordinates , using national surveillance assets , ( aerospace , sensors , etc . ) would largely address the accuracy of target coordinate designation . A long - range ballistic missile ( passive RV ) targeting error is typically spread in a highly elliptic pattern . The CEP is thus adversely biased by a wide error spread in a longitudinal axis ( due to shallow incidence angle ) . The Agni ' s active manoeuvring RV with onboard IMU ( INS ) and control system can perform terminal manoeuvre to correct errors and make a more accurate top attack profile using greater incidence angle significantly reducing the longitudinal spread and overall CEP . While earlier test versions of the missile had a CEP of ±100 metres , the latest versions will have a CEP of around 30 metres . Range . The " Bharat Rakshak " website has extensive data and analysis that uses public domain data and ballistic calculations to show that the range is greatly influenced by use or non - use of thrusters on the RV ( required for velocity trimming ) for propulsion as a HAM ( High Altitude Motor ) . There seems to be room in the RV for about 200 kg fuel ( solid or liquid ) after allowing for a long but lightweight thermonuclear weapon . This RV integrated HAM is referred to as the half stage after the two solid fuelled stages . This stage provides a disproportional increase in range for a lighter RV payload . Thus development of lightweight nuclear weapons is paramount to the missile ' s range . When the Agni - II was first launched , then Defence Minister George Fernandes indicated that the maximum range of the Agni - II was 3 , 000 km . Since then , ranges from 2 , 000 km to 2 , 500 km have been stated , while Dr . Kalam , at Aero India ' 98 , stated that Agni - II had a maximum range of 3 , 700 km . The missile was tested to 2 , 300 km in 1999 and 2 , 100 km in 2001 , with an apparently lighter payload . It would appear that Agni - II has a theoretical ability to hit a target 3 , 000 km away with a 1 , 000 kg overall payload , a 250 kg RV with a 750 kg warhead . It is suggested that a 200 kiloton boosted fission warhead was earlier developed for the Agni system when it was on the drawing board in the late 80s , however after the Pokhran - II series of nuclear test in May 1998 , the 200 kt boosted fission design has clearly given way to a 200 – 300 kt two stage thermonuclear design that is expected to be much lighter . Range changes can be made by either varying the payload or by altering the engine configuration . Greater range with a lighter payload however requires the RV to be qualified for higher re - entry velocity and corresponding Max - Q for thermal stress . Conclusion . As the backbone of the Indian land - based nuclear deterrent , the real significance of the Agni - II is the fact that it is both road and rail mobile . This is an indication of India ' s desire not to put its missiles into vulnerable silos . The mobility of the Agni - II , combined with the sheer physical size of India renders the mobile IRBM a very secure and survivable delivery system . Its range of strategic weapons payload and good accuracy make this strategic weapon useful for counter value as well as first strike role .