Strategic Weapons: March 4, 2002

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India has tested a new shorter-range version of the Agni-II. This version has a range of 700km, far more than the Prithvi-II (250km) but considerably shorter than the 2,500km of Agni-I and the 3,000km of Agni-II. The Pakistanis have protested that the new missile has no plausible targets except Pakistan. The most likely targets are Pakistani nuclear production facilities in Baluchistan. The new Agni-II-SR is thought to be a single-stage missile 1.0 meters in diameter and 14.3 meters high. The total launch weight is 11,800kg, with a separating warhead section that is 1,000kg and 3.8 meters long. This is thought to carry a 20KT nuclear warhead (Agni-II carries a 200KT warhead) or a 1,000kg conventional warhead. The warhead section includes inertial and GPS guidance and is rated at an accuracy of 70 meters circular error probable (50% of warheads will fall within that distance of their aim points).--Stephen V Cole