On April 3, 2024, at around 1900 hours, Strategic Forces Command (SFC) and the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) successfully flight-tested the New Generation Ballistic Missile Agni-Prime in flight from Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam Island off the coast of Odisha. Several range sensors, including two downrange ships positioned at the terminal point, recorded data during the test, which validated its dependable functioning and met all trial objectives. Senior officials from DRDO and the Indian Army, as well as the Chief of Defence Staff and the Chief of Strategic Forces Command, observed the launch.
The Armed Forces, SFC, and DRDO have all received congratulations from Defence Minister Rajnath Singh for the successful test. He declared that the Armed Forces will greatly benefit from the successful development and deployment of the missile. The successful flight test was attributed to the efforts of SFC and DRDO, as acknowledged by Secretary of Defence R&D and Chairman of the Defence Staff, General Anil Chauhan, and Chairman of the Defence Staff, Dr. Samir V Kamat.
Agni-Prime, as described by DRDO, is a two-stage canisterized solid propellant ballistic missile equipped with two redundant navigation and guidance systems. It was initially tested in June 2021 and has a 1,000–2,000 km range. Compared to all the previous Agni series missiles, it is lighter.
