[9] It has a range of 3,500 kilometres (2,200 mi) and can reach targets deep inside neighbouring countries including Pakistan and China.

[9] Designed by the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), Agni-III is a two-stage ballistic missile capable of nuclear weapons delivery.

DRDO formed a separate propulsion plant in September 2001 to develop large-sized solid-propellant rocket engines, including the infrastructure for propellant casting.

The stubby, two-stage solid-fuel missile is compact enough for easy mobility and flexible deployment on a number of surface and sub-surface platforms.

According to the Defence Research and Development Organisation, the failure was due to a first-stage anomaly of recirculating hot gases which entered the missile-base shroud and damaged electronic components.

[20] Indian Defence Minister Pranab Mukherjee called it a "partial success" (a euphemism indicating that the test generated useful data for diagnosis and correction), since the missile was air-borne for five minutes instead of the expected 15.

With a velocity of 5,000 meters per second, the Agni-III has a range of 3,500 kilometres (2,200 mi); new navigation software will increase the missile's accuracy and lethality.

[8] The two-stage, solid-fuel missile is small enough for easy mobility and flexible deployment from a number of surface and sub-surface platforms.

[33] On 21 September 2012, the Strategic Forces Command successfully test-fired an Agni III missile from a rail mobile launcher.