Amid the border tension with China, India on Wednesday test-fired Agni-5, a surface-to-surface nuclear-capable ballistic missile, which is capable of striking targets at ranges up to 5,000 kilometres with a very high degree of accuracy.
The missile was launched from APJ Abdul Kalam Island off the Odisha coast around 7.50 pm.
“The successful test of Agni-5 is in line with India’s stated policy to have ‘credible minimum deterrence’ that underpins the commitment to ‘no first use’,” the defence ministry said in a statement.
Agni-5, which falls into the category of Inter-continental Ballistic Missile (ICBM), uses a three-stage solid fuelled engine. The missile is about 17-metre long, 2-metre wide and has a launch weight of around 50 tonnes. It can carry a nuclear warhead of more than one tonne.
This is the first user launch of the missile, which was last tested in 2018, before it got inducted into the Strategic Forces Command.
The missile launch is seen as a strong message to China as it brings even the northernmost part of the neighbouring country within its strike envelop.
Until recently, the longest range missile India had was Agni-3, with a range of 3000–3500 km.
