For the first time, the Strategic Forces Team of the Indian Army has carried out a training trial of the nuclear capable Agni-II missile, which has a range of over 2,000 km. The Defence Ministry announced that the trial at Wheeler Island off the Orissa coast was carried out by the Strategic Forces team, which is responsible for handling India's nuclear arsenal. Incidentally, the announcement is a departure from the norms of the government, which has not been very public about the test firing of nuclear-capable missiles by the Strategic Forces.

Sources said that the trial was a success and the missile was fired with “clockwork precision” from a rail-based mobile launcher. The event was also witnessed by senior officers of the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO).

While Agni-II was first tested in 1999 and was then inducted into the Armed Forces in 2002, this is the first time that it has been fired independently by the Strategic Forces. What this means is that the Strategic Forces validated their standard operating procedures and drills on the nuclear-capable missile and fully operationalised and tested it in a ‘war-like scenario’. The missile can be launched from a train-based or road-based launcher, giving it immense mobility and flexibility in deployment.

In 2007, the Agni-I missile, with a range of over 700 km, was test fired by the Strategic Forces to complete its induction into the strategic forces arsenal. The Strategic Forces now have two reliable missiles, Agni-I and II, to deliver nuclear weapons. However, sources indicate that fighter aircraft like the Mirage 2000 and the Su-30 MKI remain the most preferred nuclear delivery options.

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