Background Work on New Defence/DFI Wiki website

[Haldilal]

7 January 1994
India aborts a planned test of the Agni because of technical problems. The pyro mechanism, which ignites the
missile, fails as the cable supplying power to the missile becomes unplugged during the process of raising the
missile from a horizontal to a vertical position for launch. During a routine pre‐launch inspection, scientists also
discover that strontium perchlorate, the fluid used for thrust vectoring or controlling the missile's direction during
flight, has leaked out prematurely. The first‐stage solid‐fueled motor is dismantled and sent to Indian Space
Research Organization's (ISRO) Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre (VSSC) in Thiruvanathapuram (Kerela) for repairs.

 

[Haldilal]

16 February 1994
Indian defense sources indicate that the next test of the Agni I will take place on 19 February. The local
administration is preparing to evacuate approximately 11,000 people from the 15 villages within the 3.5km‐radius
of the missile launching pad.

 

[Haldilal]

19 February 1994
India conducts third test of the Agni I. The missile is launched from the Interim Test Range (ITR) in Chandipur
(Orissa) at 5:45 p.m. and impacts at a designated target off the Car Nicobar islands within 22 minutes at a distance
of 1,400km. The 21‐meter, 19‐ton missile uses a solid propellant in the first stage and a liquid propellant in the
second stage. A brief issued by the Defense Research & Development Organization (DRDO) says that the third test
validated the innovative design features aimed at testing the missile's longer‐range and advanced maneuverability
during the re‐entry phase. Scientists tested a new re‐entry vehicle with fins, which allows it to maneuver for
greater accuracy. The test also validated a more advanced stage separation process. An Indian defense ministry
press release says that the Agni payload performed to the design specifications with great accuracy.

 

[Haldilal]

March 1994
Commenting on the Army's decision to acquire 75 Prithvi ballistic missiles, India's Chief of Army Staff, General B.C.
Joshi says that "Prithvi... is an extremely lethal weapon...it has a heavier warhead, increased range, and is highly
mobile...in the battlefield a force multiplier has been introduced...and because it is indigenously produced...we are
not beholden to any foreign power...to get more bang for the buck, we have to decide what numbers we would
actually have to deploy. But the overall pay‐offs are in terms of maintaining our independence, gaining confidence
in critical technologies and the spin‐off benefits that come from it. There is also a realization...that off‐the‐shelf
purchases are no longer affordable as prices have gone sky high."

 

[Haldilal]

May 1994
Prime Minister Narasimha Rao states on 12 May 1994 that India will continue with Prithvi tests despite US
pressure to halt the program. The 13th test‐flight of the Prithvi is scheduled for 23 May 1994, only three days after Rao returns from a trip to the United States.

 

[Haldilal]

4 June 1994
A Prithvi I is tested from a mobile launcher. This marks the 13th test of the Prithvi and is part of the Indian Army's
pre‐induction trial phase with its first user‐trial. This is also the first time that a Prithvi is armed with a live warhead
during a test. The missile is fired at a target on Wheeler's Island, 85km from the Interim Test Range (ITR) in
Chandipur (Orissa). The Defense Research & Development Organization (DRDO) and the Army are likely to conduct
six more tests under battlefield conditions and user trials are expected to be completed by the end of July 1994.
May 1994
The 13th test of the Prithvi I is cancelled when a faulty nozzle on the Prithvi's liquid‐propellant loading system
allows propellant to leak into the engine casings.
6 June 1994
The 14th test of the Prithvi missile occurs. The missile hits the designated target located 145km from the Interim
Test Range (ITR) in Chandipur (Orissa). The test is an Army user‐trial conducted by artillery officers who will be
assigned to the Army's missile force. This is expected to be the final test before the Army places orders for the
Prithvi. According to Army officials, all user trials should be completed by the end of July 1994.

 

[Haldilal]

20 September 1994
General Romesh Khosla of the Indian Army states, "we are in the final stages of the user trials and the missile
system [Prithvi] should be ready for induction very soon. We are working on establishing a complete infrastructure
before these missile are eventually inducted into the Army."
8 April 1995
The Prithvi enters service with an Army unit deployed near Hyderabad (Andhra Pradesh). No details are available
of the numbers of missiles in service, but Indian Army officers claim that the Indian government is delaying
production due to US pressure.

 

[Haldilal]

16 January 1996
A planned test of the Prithvi is cancelled for undisclosed reasons. A PTI report speculates that the test might have
been postponed due to inclement weather. Defense officials in New Delhi say that India intends to deploy the
Prithvi I and that serial production is already in progress at Bharat Dynamics Limited (BDL) in Hyderabad (Andhra
Pradesh). Reportedly, 18‐20 Prithvi I ballistic missiles have been produced and are armed with five different types
of conventional warheads.

 

[Haldilal]

23 February 1997
India conducts the third user‐trial of the Prithvi‐II, marking the sixteenth test of the system. The ballistic missile is
launched from Interim Test Range (ITR) in Chandipur (Orissa) at 11:52 a.m. Mission Director S.C. Narak states that
all test objectives have been met. This includes a test of the performance of advanced real‐time software for
trajectory maneuvers. The test also validates the modifications introduced in the ground support system at the
suggestion of the Air Force. Narak says that the development phase of the Prithvi‐II is complete.

 

[Haldilal]

26 May 1998
Defense Minister George Fernandes says that India will "inevitably arm" its missiles with nuclear warheads.
According to Fernandes, "without weaponization, this question of being a nuclear weapons state does not make
sense...nuclear weaponization is necessary, and in the ultimate analysis inevitable."
—"India will 'inevitably' arm missiles with nuclear warheads," AFP, 26 May 1998, in Lexis‐Nexis Academic Universe,
26 May 1998, http://web.lexis‐nexis.com.
17 May 1998
Indian defense sources say that the Agni program has been revived. The scientific advisor to the defense minister
Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam tells a press conference that the Defense Research & Development Organization (DRDO) is
working "on the next version of the Agni." Kalam says, "the [present] project has been completed, and if needed,
the Agni can be made in large numbers."
—Neelesh Misra, "India Perfecting Delivery System For Nuclear Weapons," AAP Information Services Pvt. Ltd., 18
May 1998, in Lexis‐Nexis Academic Universe, 18 May 1998, http://web.lexis‐nexis.com.

 

[Haldilal]

January 1999
India postpones a scheduled test of the Agni II.
—Tara Shankar Sahay, "Agni put to bed 'indefinitely,' confirms MOD," Rediff on the Net, 21 January 1999,

 

[Haldilal]

4 March 1999
Agni II test is aborted due to technical problems.

 

[Haldilal]

9 March 1999
A planned test of the Dhanush is aborted due to technical problems. However, Pakistani news sources say that the
test failed and the Indian navy is trying to keep it a secret.

 

[Haldilal]

11 April 1999
India tests the Agni II missile from a new launch facility at the IC‐4 on Wheeler's Island. The new facility has been
built to bypass the problem of evacuating villagers from the Interim Test Range's (ITR) surrounding areas every
time a missile is tested. This is the fourth test in the Agni program. The 20 meter‐high missile is launched from a
rail‐mobile platform at 9:47 a.m. and reaches the point of impact in 11 minutes. Defense Minister George
Fernandes says that, "we [India] have reached the point of operationalization of Agni II as a weapon system." The
salient features of this test are demonstration of mobile launch capability; an all solid‐solid propulsion system;
range of over 2,000km; improved guidance and navigation system; and an advanced communication interface.
According to Defense Research & Development Organization (DRDO) sources the Agni II is equipped with a global
positioning system (GPS); satellite inputs during the missile's flight time help an on‐board computer to correct for
navigational errors and improve accuracy. Unlike the earlier models, which used a liquid configuration in the
second stage, the Agni‐II has an all solid‐fuel configuration. The Agni's designers and engineers say that the missile
is highly mobile and can be transported by rail or road anywhere within India. When compared to the Agni I, which
required half a day of preparation for launch, the Agni II can be launched within 15 minutes. The Agni II also
incorporates a terminal navigation and guidance system; the missile uses ground‐based beacons to correct for
deviations in the missile's path even as it travels at hypersonic speeds of over Mach 14. According to DRDO's chief
controller of R&D (missiles), the Agni's accuracy has been "improved by a factor of three." Indian nuclear and
missile scientists also test an actual nuclear warhead assembly without its plutonium core during the test. In an
earlier static test involving a dummy warhead, severe vibrations had caused it to trigger prematurely due to a high‐
arching voltage problem. Flight telemetry data from the Agni's test shows that the dummy warhead's safety locks
unlocked in a predetermined manner.
—"Over 2,000km Range Agni‐II Successfully Test‐Fired,

 

[Haldilal]

May 1999
Defense Research & Development Organization (DRDO) officials say that a 250km‐range Dhanush will be tested in
late 1999.
24 April 1999
Indian defense officials say that they are preparing to carry out user trials of the Air Force version (250km‐range) of
the Prithvi. Defense Research & Development Organization (DRDO) officials have already conducted three user‐
trials of the Air Force version, which is also known as the Prithvi II.

 

[Haldilal]

May 1999
Defense Research & Development Organization (DRDO) sources say that program to develop Surya is likely to cost
$50 million and the missile will be ready for launch by mid‐2001. An advanced version of the Surya will also be
developed after the first missile is tested. About 90 scientific and private institutions are participating in the
development of the Surya. DRDO scientists disclose that they are also working on a project to extend the range of
the Army‐version of the Prithvi (SSM‐150) from 150km to 350km; a 250km‐range naval‐version of the missile will
be tested later during 1999. In addition, 20 2,000km‐range Agni ballistic missiles will be built at a cost of $150
million by the end of 2001

 

[Haldilal]

20 January 2000
India delays tests of the Dhanush and Agni ballistic missiles. The missiles were originally scheduled to be tested on
26 January 2000. According to Indian government sources, the Dhanush test has been postponed due to a
technical snag in the "control system." The new version of the Agni will test a new mid‐air guidance system, which
involves a satellite‐based global positioning system (GPS). According to Indian defense sources, the GPS will receive
satellite‐based feeds of its geographic position in mid‐air. An on‐board computer will carry out the necessary
corrections to steer the weapon to its target. However, these sources have also warned against relying on the US
GPS system during "critical occasions." [Note: In theory, the US GPS system could be shut off to deny a country
access to positional information. In practice, however, such an option is becoming increasingly dubious given the growing commercial dependence on GPS.]

 

[Haldilal]

11 April 2000
India flight‐tests the 250km‐range Dhanush from the INS Subhadra off the Interim Test Range (ITR) in Chandipur
(Orissa) at 1:35 p.m.; the test is unsuccessful. The missile breaks up within four seconds of launch.

 

[Haldilal]

17 January 2001
India conducts second test of the Agni II from the Interim Test Range (ITR) in Chandipur (Orissa) in its "final
operational configuration." The Agni II is a mobile, two‐stage, all solid‐fuel missile with a range of "about 2,000km"
and is capable of carrying a payload weight of one ton. The flight is monitored with shore and ship instrumentation
facilities, which are networked in real‐time. According to the Agni's program director R.N. Agarwal, the flight test
results indicated that mission objectives were met successfully. Indian defense officials also claim that the missile,
which uses an inertial navigation system and global positioning system (GPS), landed less than 100m from its
target. Indian Defense Minister George Fernandes hints that the Agni will be inducted into the armed forces soon.

 

[Haldilal]

31 March 2001
India conducts 18th test of the Prithvi ballistic missile. The missile's flight from the "Chandipur‐on‐sea" test range is
monitored and tracked by a network of radar, optical tracking telescope, three telemetry stations, and a naval ship
deployed in the Bay of Bengal. According to Defense Research & Development Organization (DRDO) sources, the
test was conducted to "gauge the propulsion parameters of the missile." The test is described as routine work and
DRDO sources say that the results of the trial will be fully known after examining the data from the test.