Author:
Publication: Deccan
Chronicle
Date: September 23,
2000
India's most advanced
Inter-Continental Ballistic Missile, Agni III, which has a range of moe
than 3000 km, is ready to be test fired very soon.
This was disclosed to
the Defence Consultative Committee members by the Union Defence Minster,
George Fernandes in a meeting held here on Wednesday. According to
sources, the Defence Minister told the members that the missile had almost
completed the development stage and was ready to be test fired 'sooner
than expected.'
The test firing of Agni
III, sources said, will mark yet another chapter in the successful Integrated
Guided Missile Development Programme, which in fact, is the only worthwhile
success that the beleaguered Defence Research & Development Organisation
can boast of.The Defence Research Development Organisation is lagging behind
by years in the development of almost all its major projects like the Main
battle Tank, Light Combat Aircraft, Advanced Light Helicopter etc.
Its only success worth speaking of have been in the field of missile development.
It has already developed
Agni I and II successfully at a cost of $ 3.5 to $ 4.7 million each besides
Prithvi which has a range of 150 km. After 17 test flights, Prithvi
is under production at the Bharat Dynamics Limited at an estimated cost
of $ 1.4 million each. Other successful missiles which have passed
various stages of development are the two Surface to Air Missiles Akash,
which is a medium range missile with a 25 km range and Trishul, which is
a short range missile with nine kilometre range.
Akash has undergone eight
test flights and is likely to be inducted into service in 2001 and Trishul
which has undergone 37 test flights and is presently undergoing user trials
with the Indian Air Force.Besides these, Nag, a short-range, third-generation
Anti-Tank Guided Weapon has also been developed and has undergone 25 flight
tests including user trials and will enter service next year.
The Defence Minister
also informed the members that the much awaited flight test of indigenously
developed Light Combat Aircraft will be over by the end of this year but
the production process of the Light Combat Aircraft will take another five
years.He said this, however, will not affect the combat preparedness of
the Indian Air Force in any way.
'Such delays are always
taken into account while formulating air defence strategy of a country,'
he said.Dr V K Atre, secretary, Defence Research Development Organisation,
who also attended the meeting, made a detailed presentation of the ongoing
projects of the Defence Research Development Organisation.
India could withdraw
its nuclear moratorium if its national security was endangered, Prime Minister
Atal Behari Vajpayee's National Security Adviser Brajesh Mishra said Thursday.
'India will continue with the moratorium subject to the supreme national
interests.
If our supreme national
interests are in jeopardy, we can withdraw,' Mishra told the Doordarshan
television network.Mishra said New Delhi would also try and build up a
consensus on the CTBT, which India has consistently opposed arguing that
is discriminatory and lacked a time-bound frame for disarmament.The US,
which imposed sanctions on India after nuclear tests two years ago, wants
New Delhi to sign the treaty.
