India is developing surface-to-surface Agni-III missile with a range of more than 3,000km, Scientific Adviser to the defence minister V K Aatre said in New Delhi on Saturday.

"We will hopefully test-fire it before the end of the year," he said on the sidelines of a seminar on defence and internal security on the concluding day of the three-day Pravasi Bharatiya Divas.

Aatre also announced that surface-to-surface missile Agni-I, which was test-fired on Thursday, is ready for induction into the armed forces.

Agni-I, which has a range of 700 to 800km, has been tested twice. Asked if that was enough, Aatre said, "It is part of the Agni series of missiles, which have been tested eight times. We do not need more than the tests we have conducted."

Agni-I, which is nuclear-capable, can carry a payload of one tonne.