Agni-II glitches to be removed: Antony

New Delhi, Nov 27 : Defence Minister A.K. Antony Friday downplayed the recent failure of the nuclear-capable intermediate range Agni-II missile's test firing, saying scientists would soon rectify the glitches.

"It is not absolutely correct. Sometimes tests do fail," Antony said in reply to a query if the test was a setback for India's Integrated Guided Missile Development Programme.

"I am absolutely confident that DRDO (Defence Research and Development Organisation) scientists will look into the problem and do away with it," Antony added.

The first night test of the Agni-II missile Nov 23 turned out to be a failure. The surface-to-surface missile with a range of 2,000-plus km was tested from Wheeler's Island - a launch site in Orissa's Bhadrak district, about 200 km from state capital Bhubaneswar, at about 7.50 p.m.

The take-off and first phase separation went off smoothly. However, the second stage booster failed to function as expected. The test was a user trial to give the Indian Army the confidence to fire the missile whenever required.

Earlier this year, a daytime trial of the Agni-II was also a failure.

The Agni-II missile is 20 metres long and can carry a 1,000 kg payload. It weighs 17 tonnes and its range can be increased to 3,000 km by reducing the payload.

The Agni-II version of the Agni-series of missiles was first test fired in 1999.