Agni - I The Agni missile ( Sanskrit : अग्नि , Agnī " " Fire " " ) is a family of Short to Intermediate range ballistic missiles developed by India under the Integrated Guided Missile Development Program . On 28 Mar 2010 , a trial was conducted with a special Strategic Forces Command ( SFC ) nuclear - capable Agni - I ballistic missile , with a range of 700 km from the Wheelers Island off the coast of Orissa , thus making Agni - I missile operational by army . Since then the SFC of the Indian Army has conducted several user trials of Agni - I missile to test its readiness to launch ballistic missiles that carry nuclear warheads . The recent user trials involved the test firing of upgraded version of Agni - I with better re - entry technology , maneuverability and range extension of up to 700 – 1 , 250 km . History and Development . Agni - I was first tested at the Interim Test Range in Chandipur in 1989 , and is capable of carrying a conventional payload of 1 , 000 kg ( 2 , 200 lb ) or a nuclear warhead . Agni missiles consist of one ( short range ) or two stages ( intermediate range ) . These are rail and road mobile and powered by solid propellant s . The Agni I has a range of 700 – 1250 km . They are claimed to be a part of the " Minimum Credible deterrence " . Agni - I is a single stage , solid fuel , road and rail mobile , medium - range ballistic missile ( MRBM ) . The need for the Agni - I was felt after the Kargil war with Pakistan . It took DRDO 15 months to develop the Agni - I after having completed Agni - II development . It is propelled by solid fuel . Maneuvering RV body - lift aerodynamics give it the ability to correct trajectory errors and reduce thermal stresses . The MRV has a velocity correction package to correct launch trajectory variances . Some Agni RV versions use a set of solid fueled thruster cartridges of predetermined impulse , allowing the onboard guidance controller to trim velocity , using discrete combination of impulse quanta along the desired spatial orientation . The 15 metre tall Agni - 1 missile , weighing about 12 tonnes , is capable of carrying both conventional as well as nuclear warheads of 1 , 000 kg . Calculations suggest a distance of 1500 km can , theoretically , be reached if the missile were to be made of composites & carrying a lesser mass of payload . User trials by Indian Army . Indian Army regularly conducts user trials of the missile mainly to train the user team to launch the missile . The tests are normally conducted by the Strategic Forces Command ( SFC ) of the Indian Army with logistic support from Defence Research and Development Organisation ( DRDO ) . On October 5 , 2007 , a nuclear - capable Agni I was test fired from Wheelers ' Island , a defense base in the Bay of Bengal on Orissa coast at Bhadrak , Orissa ; and again on March 23 , 2008 from the same site . On 25 Nov 2010 another user trial of Agni - I missile was carried out by the Strategic Forces Command ( SFC ) of the Indian Army wherein the indigenously developed surface - to - surface single - stage missile , powered by solid propellants , was test fired from a rail mobile launcher at about 1010 hours from launch pad - 4 of the ITR , 100 km off the Orissa coast . This user trial involved the test firing of upgraded version of Agni - I with better re - entry technology , manoeuvrability and range extension of up to 700 – 900 km . Agni - I was successfully test fired as a part of a training exercise on 1 December 2011 from the Orissa coast . The Strategic Forces Command ( SFC ) of the Army executed the trial with logistic support provided by DRDO at the ITR . The Agni - I was fired from a road - mobile launcher ( specially designed truck ) , at 9 . 30 a . m . and covered its targeted range in 600 seconds of flight . The missile reached its targeted area in the Bay of Bengal with full accuracy . On 13 July 2012 , the SFC conducted another successful user trial from Wheelers ' Island . The missile was launched from a road mobile launcher Operators . Agni - I is used by the 334 Missile Group at Secunderabad , under the Strategic Forces Command ( SFC ) of the Indian Army ,