India- India successfully tests nuclear-capable Agni-I missile Posted: 13 Jul 2012 08:26 AM PDT SOURCE: IANS India on Friday successfully test-fired its indigenously developed nuclear-capable Agni-I ballistic missile, with a strike range of 700 km, as part of the Army’s user trial from a test range at Wheeler Island off Odisha coast. The surface-to-surface, single-stage missile, powered by solid propellants, was test-fired from a mobile launcher at about 1010 hrs from launch pad-4 of the Integrated Test Range at Wheeler Island, about 100 km from here, defence sources said. “The trial of the sophisticated missile with a strike range of 700 km was successful,” a defence scientist said. Describing the launch as a routine user s trial by the strategic force command of Indian Army, he said the main objective was to train the user team to launch the missile. “It was a practice-drill. The user-team picked a missile at random from the production lot and fired it with logistic support provided by Defence Research Development Organisation (DRDO) at ITR,” he said. Agni-I missile has a specialised navigation system which ensures it reaches the target with a high degree of accuracy and precision, he said. The trajectory of the missile, which has an operational strike range of 700 km, was tracked by sophisticated radars and electro-optic telemetry stations located along the sea coast and ships positioned near the impact point in the downrange area. Weighing 12 tonnes, the 15-metre-long Agni-I, which can carry payloads up to 1000 kg, has already been inducted into the Indian Army. Agni-I was developed by advanced systems laboratory, the premier missile development laboratory of the DRDO in collaboration with Defence Research Development Laboratory and Research Centre Imarat and integrated by Bharat Dynamics Limited, Hyderabad. The last trial of the Agni-I missile was successfully carried out on December 1, 2011 from the same base. Since the missile has already been inducted into the armed forces, it is important to conduct user trials for training of defence personnel and improvement of their skills, sources said. Pakistani soldier repatriated Posted: 13 Jul 2012 08:23 AM PDT SOURCE: IANS The Indian Army Friday handed over a Pakistani soldier to its compatriot across the border in Poonch district of Jammu and Kashmir.The soldier, Arif Ali had crossed over to the Indian side of the Line of Control on Thursday morning. He was arrested by the Indian Army. He was carrying no weapons but was found to be in possession of Rs.13,000 of Pakistani currency and two SIM cards.Army sources said that after detailed questioning, it was discovered that the Pakistani soldier had inadvertently crossed over to the Indian side. There was no love angle or any hostile intention, the sources said. ‘As a goodwill gesture, the army decided to repatriate the Pakistani soldier,’ a source in the army told IANS The soldier was handed over to Pakistani army at Chakan Da Bagh on the LoC, the sources said. Work on submarine launched BrahMos in final stages

The work on launch of submarine variant of supersonic cruise missile BrahMos was in the final stages, a top official of the Indo-Russian joint venture BrahMos Aerospace said today.

“Yes we are on the job and it is in the final stages,” BrahMos Aerospace CEO and MD Dr A Sivathanu Pillai told reporters here when asked about the submarine launched-missile. 

Sea and ground-launched versions have been successfully tested and put into service with theIndian Army and Navy. The flight tests of the airborne version will be completed by the end of 2012.

Pillai said the Hypersonic version of Brahmos-2 cruise missile will be ready for launch in another five years.

With the research on propulsion of scramjet underway, the hypersonic missile, with four times speed that the present Supersonic missile, would be ready for induction into Indian forces by 2017.

With a 300 million Dollars investment, the company, a Indo-Russian joint venture, was doing a business of five billion dollars at present, he said.

However, he said the company would think of large scale exports only after meeting the requirements of Indian armed forces.

Source:IANS