India successfully carries out night launch of nuclear capable Agni Prime missile
New Delhi (PTI): India has successfully carried out a night launch of new generation nuclear capable ballistic missile 'Agni Prime' from the Abdul Kalam Island off the coast of Odisha, boosting the country's strategic deterrence capability.
The defence ministry said the test-flight was carried out on Wednesday evening and it met all the trial objectives, validating the reliable performance, as confirmed from the data captured by a number of range sensors deployed at different locations.
The Strategic Forces Command (SFC), along with Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), carried out the flight test of the missile that has a strike range of 1,000 to 2,000 km.
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh congratulated the DRDO, SFC and the armed forces for the successful test flight and stated that the successful development and induction of the missile will be an excellent force multiplier for the military.
"Strategic Forces Command (SFC), along with the DRDO, conducted the successful flight-test of new generation ballistic missile Agni-Prime from Dr APJ Abdul Kalam Island off the coast of Odisha at around 1900 hours on April 3," the ministry said.
"The test met all the trial objectives validating its reliable performance, as confirmed from the data captured by a number of range sensors deployed at different locations, including two downrange ships placed at the terminal point," it said.
The launch was witnessed by Chief of Defence Staff Gen Anil Chauhan, the Chief of Strategic Forces Command and senior officials from the DRDO and the Indian Army.
Gen Chauhan and Chairman DRDO Samir V Kamat appreciated the efforts of the SFC and DRDO for the successful flight test.
Last month, India successfully carried out the first flight test of indigenously developed Agni-5 missile with multiple independently targetable re-entry vehicle (MIRV) under its 'Mission Divyastra'.
By carrying out the test, India joined a select group of nations having such a capability. The MIRV feature ensures that a single missile can deploy multiple war heads at different locations.
Agni-V missile has a range of up to 5,000 km and it can bring almost the entire Asia, including the northernmost part of China as well as some regions in Europe under its striking range.
The Agni 1 to 4 missiles have ranges from 700 km to 3,500 km and they have already been deployed.
In June last year, India successfully carried out the night launch of the 'Agni Prime'
In April last year, India successfully carried out the maiden flight trial of an endo-atmospheric interceptor missile from a ship off the coast of Odisha in the Bay of Bengal as part of its ambitious ballistic missile defence programme.
The purpose of the trial of the sea-based missile was to engage and neutralise a hostile ballistic missile threat thereby elevating India into an elite club of nations having such a capability.
India has been developing capabilities to intercept hostile ballistic missiles both inside and outside the earth's atmospheric limits.
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49 Indigo flights likely to be cancelled from Hyderabad
Hyderabad (PTI): As many as 49 outbound Indigo flights are expected to be cancelled from here on Friday, Rajiv Gandhi International Airport sources said.
Similarly, 43 incoming flights are also likely to be cancelled during the day, they said.
A chaotic situation prevailed at the airport for the second consecutive day on Thursday as IndiGo cancelled 37 outbound flights, leaving aggrieved flyers stranded without alternative arrangements or clear communication.
"Absolute chaos at Hyderabad airport because of Indigo operational mess. All gates were bombarded with angry stuck passengers," a netizen said in a post on X this morning.
The airline, in a late-night statement, said the last two days have seen widespread disruption across IndiGo’s network and operations.
"We extend a heartfelt apology to all our customers and industry stakeholders who have been impacted by these events. IndiGo teams are working diligently and making all efforts with the support of MOCA, DGCA, BCAS, AAI and airport operators to reduce the cascading impact of these delays and restore normalcy," it said.
Indigo further said it will continue to keep its customers apprised of any changes to their scheduled flights and advise them to check the latest status at https://goindigo.in/check-flight-status.html before heading to the airport.
IndiGo deeply regrets the inconvenience caused and remains focused on streamlining its operations at the earliest, it added.
