India Agni-II plus missile test failure

India’s test fire of an upgraded version Agni-II nuclear-capable cruise missile has been a failure, Indian news reports say.

The maiden test launch of Agni-II plus, a nuclear-capable surface-to-surface missile, ended in a massive failure, the Indian Express said on Friday.

The missile dropped off into the sea a few seconds after it was launched from Wheeler Island, off the Orissa Coast, the English-language Indian daily newspaper said on its website.

India’s NDTV also declared the test as a failure.

It was not immediately clear why the test had failed.

The Agni-II plus or premier, capable of carrying a one-ton conventional or nuclear warhead, is expected to bridge the gap between Agni-II and Agni-III, and has a normal range of 2,000-2,500 kilometers.

An Agni-III variant, with a reach of up to 3,000-3,500 kilometers, has already been successfully tested.