Daily Times

The Indian military’s Agni-III ballistic missile failed its maiden night test launch and crashed into the sea shortly after launch, reported Indian media. The missile plunged into the sea after the first-stage separation. It was launched from Abdul Kalam Island off India’s Odisha coast. The Agni-III ballistic missile is capable of hauling conventional and nuclear warheads, weighing up to 1.5 tonnes, to a reported range of more than 2,000kms. “The missile travelled around 115 km into its initial flight trajectory when things went awry. It deviated from the flight path forcing the mission team to terminate it midway,” Indian media quoted ‘highly placed’ sources.

An initial investigation points to a ‘manufacturing defect’ in the missile. If true, it is another setback for the Narendra Modi-led ‘Made in India’ initiative. Weapon systems produced in India usually suffer from low workmanship and suffer from poor maintenance standards prevalent across the Indian military.

This is not the first time that Indian missile tests have suffered catastrophes. In 2009, the variants of the missile system, Agni-I and Agni-II failed to deliver results during trails. The Indian Army and its projectile attempts were left embarrassed once again the other day. This time, due to a failed attempt of a night test for the Agni-III missile.

The missile proclaimed to be rocking nuclear capability, shambolically fell in the Odisha sea after the test failed. India considers the Agni-III missile as one of its most prized possessions. The team of the Agni-III had to eat a humble pie yet again.

Instead of reaching its target altitude and the correct pathway, the Agni-III deviated from its flight and went rogue. The team then had to terminate the missile as it fell in the Odisha sea. Embarrassingly for India, the missile was inducted in the arsenal in 2011. However, it has failed a ‘basic’ night test 8 years later.

Supposedly, the Agni-III missile has the capability of carrying 1.5 tonnes of nuclear/non-nuclear warheads, which is enough to destroy a whole city. Indian defence planers are aghast that given the Pak-India hostilities, if India had gone to war with Pakistan, and used the Agni-III missile; instead of hitting the enemy, the Agni-III with ‘nuclear capability’ would have fallen somewhere in India only. This incident comes off as a stark reality check for India, and it will have to check its jingoism.

Some classic examples of India’s R&D failures, which have reached the public domain, are the Arjun tank, Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) Tejas, INSAS rifle, Saras, Kaveri, Akash, Nag, Indra Radar, while numerous others have been brushed under the carpet

Satellite images vividly tell the tale of the failure. Closer inspection of the ground shows that the debris from the missile dispersed across the lightly forested area to the northeast of the launch pad and along southern coast of the island. The main debris fields appear to be concentrated in vegetated areas that continued to burn and smoke, while the debris in the sand burnt out relatively quickly. Most notably, India’s Defense Research and Development Organization (DRDO) declined to comment on this test and failed to publicly discount false reports that claimed this test was successful.

It is no secret that India aspires to be a regional power. However, ambition must be backed by responsibility. A spate of accidents in the sensitive Defence Research and Development Organization (DRDO), have left Indians wondering whether its scientists can be trusted with weapons of mass destruction (WMDs).

According to Indian media, on June 19, 2018, a blast took place while workers were handling explosive material at DRDO laboratory in Pune’s Hinjewadi area. Resultantly, one worker was killed and another injured. The incident occurred at the High Energy Material Research Laboratory (HEMRL), a premier unit of the DRDO. The workers were cutting and dividing explosive material into samples when it exploded.

HEMRL is dedicated to research and development on high energy materials like propellants and high-power explosives as well as pyrotechnics. The laboratory has played a key role in development of Indian missile systems, including Prithvi, Agni, Akash and Nag. The lab is also used to test missile prototypes to check their propellants. The laboratory is spread over 800 acres of the land in Pashan and Sutarwadi area.

Some classic examples of India’s R&D failures, which have reached the public domain, are the Arjun tank, Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) Tejas, INSAS rifle, Saras, Kaveri, Akash, Nag, Indra Radar, while numerous others have been brushed under the carpet.

Main Battle Tank Arjun was designed and produced to counter Pakistan in the Western Front, where the Indian Army will have to cross the bridges of Punjab, unfortunately for the Indians, it is an overweight tank. Arjun MK1 weighs 61 tons while the Arjun MK2 is 68 tons, compared to the T90, which is 46 tons. The Arjun MK1 and MK2 both are 4 seaters: Driver, Gunner, Loader and Commander (Similar to the US M1 Abrams). But the Indian Army, due to its historical intense use of Soviet Tank models, has training of 3-seater tank models: Driver, Gunner, and Commander, the Soviet Tanks do not require a loader, as it has Auto-Loader capability. Now the Indian Army will spend billions of Dollars on training for a new tank.

These Indian defence woes have inspired cynics to label DRDO as “DODO”.

The writer is a retired Group Captain of PAF. He is a columnist, analyst and TV talk show host