India may test fire long range Agni-III missile

India may test fire its most powerful surface-to-surface ballistic missile -- Agni-III -- capable of hitting targets 3,000 km away, anytime next week from a test range in Orissa.

"We are ready for the launch of the missile, which has the capability of carrying a one-ton nuclear warhead, and are waiting for favourable weather conditions," a top Defence Research and Development Organisation official said.

DRDO chief M Natarajan has already gone on record as saying that the organisation has made all preparations for launching the missile for the first time, and was awaiting a nod from the country's political leadership.

Technical snags had forced scientists to put off the test launch of Agni-III two years ago. Sources said India was ready to test the missile,

which has solid fuel boosters, in January this year. But the launch was put off in view of crucial negotiations with Washington to seal the Indo-US nuclear deal as well as US President George W Bush's visit to the country in March.

Defence ministry officials declined to comment on whether New Delhi was going ahead with the testing of the missile. Highly placed sources, however, said the test firing could take place any time this month.

When repeatedly asked whether India planned to test the inter-continental ballistic missile, Defence Minister Pranab Mukherjee had recently said, "You will know when we do it." US Joint Chief of Staff Gen Peter Pace had, during a recent visit to India, said that Washington would have no objection with India going ahead with firing the long-range missile.