PM briefed about Agni-V, India's future missile programme

New Delhi, April 21 (IANS) Prime Minister Manmohan Singh was Saturday briefed by Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) chief V.K. Saraswat on the launch of India's nuclear capable long-range missile Agni-V that was successfully test fired Thursday.

Saraswat, the key scientist in India's missile programme and one of the main brains behind the Agni series of weapons, also apprised the prime minister about India's future missile development programme, DRDO officials said.

The meeting between Manmohan Singh and Saraswat, who is also the chief scientific advisor to Defence Minister A.K. Antony, lasted for about 30 minutes.

Saraswat was accompanied by Agni project director Avinash Chandra, who has been involved in the development and successful launch of the series of missiles.

Capable of hitting targets 5,000 km away, Agni-V was launched from an island in Odisha that put India into an elite club of nations which have the capabilities to fire missiles at such a long distance.

Buoyed by the success of the long-range ballistic missile, Saraswat Friday said the DRDO will not 'cap' its three-decade-old programme and continue to develop more missiles in the series with modern and latest technologies.