Agni-II user trial aborted

BALASORE: Technical glitch once again hit India’s most ambitious Agni project on Monday forcing the defence authorities to put off the  user specific trial of 2,000-km plus range surface- to-surface ballistic missile Agni-II for an indefinite  period.The indigenously built Intermediate Range Ballistic Missile Agni-II was scheduled to be tested by the Strategic Forces Command (SFC) of the Indian Army from the Wheeler’s Island off the Orissa coast on Monday.The test was considered ‘very crucial’ as it was  supposed to give a push to the country’s intercontinental missile programme (maiden test of 5,000-km Agni-V) to be conducted in December.  Defence sources said the snag was detected a few seconds before the takeoff. “The countdown was going smoothly and everything was almost ready. But a snag was detected nearly 18 seconds before the takeoff thereby forcing them to put off the mission,” said an official.Sources associated with the mission announced that the technical glitch developed as the system didn’t  get adequate pressure for ignition.  “Though the pyro was fired in time, the required pressure couldn’t be built up for ignition which led the scientists to abort the mission,” said the source adding that it will take at least a fortnight to rectify the faults.Director of Advanced System Laboratory (ASL) and Programme Director of Agni Avinash Chander, however, declined to divulge the details. “The test was deferred due to a technical snag. Work is on to rectify it and we hope to conduct the test in a few days,” he told this paper.However, it was not for the first time that faults were detected in Agni missile. In December last year the maiden test of Agni-II Prime had failed as the missile deviated from the trajectory and nose-dived into the sea due to the same problem. While in 2006 the maiden test of 3,500-km range Agni-III had failed due to glitches during stage separation, in 2009 two consecutive trials of Agni-II too had ended in  failure.Defence experts have criticised the DRDO for the recurring failures. They said the faults were chronic and the scientists had failed to rectify it.  An expert attributed the problem to fewer developmental trials. As per the international standards, a missile shouldn’t be inducted unless it undergoes at least 12 developmental test-flights under different weather and operational conditions. “But DRDO has inducted Agni-II only after three developmental trials,” he pointed out.