India is set to test fire its long-range nuclear-capable Agni-III ballistic missile on Wednesday from the Chandipur Integrated Test Range off the Orissa coast. This will be the third test firing of the 3,500-km surface-to-surface missile that has been dubbed as a ‘China specific’ missile by military analysts.

The launch is scheduled for Wednesday morning but scientists have given a two-day window for the test firing in case the weather deteriorates.

While the missile has still some time to go before it is ready for induction into India’s strategic forces, the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) is keeping its fingers crossed for a successful launch to validate the newly developed system.

The first test of the nuclear-capable missile, conducted on July 9, 2006, at the same location, failed as the missile fell short of the target. The DRDO had to wait for almost a year for the next opportunity and successfully test-launched it on April 12, 2007.

Significantly, the test firing comes weeks after China’s new, nearest naval base to India, housing nuclear submarines, was revealed to the world. However, officials insist that there is no connection as the Agni launch was scheduled in advance and had to be postponed for a month following an outcry by environmentalists that the firing would interfere with the hatching cycle of the Oliver Ridley turtles.

While China has for long had missiles that cover entire India, the solid-fuelled Agni-III missile has for the first time given New Delhi the range to strike deep within China and target cities like Shanghai and Beijing.

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