NEW DELHI, Jan 9: India on Thursday test-fired a shorter-range version of its nuclear-capable Agni missile, capable of striking almost any part of Pakistan.
The test at a remote site in Orissa state on the Bay of Bengal “was a textbook launch, everything went perfectly,” a senior defence official told Reuters.
The test, one of a series planned in coming days, followed the exchange of tough nuclear rhetoric earlier this week by India and Pakistan.
Agni-1 has a one-ton payload capacity and can be fired from rail and road launchers, making it highly mobile. The missile is India’s first intermediate-range missile and has a range of about 600-800 kilometres.
Scientists also plan to test a supersonic cruise missile jointly developed with Russia. The Brahmos missile, with a range of 280km, is set to enter production by year end.
India also plans to test a 250km range variant of its surface-to-surface missile, Prithvi, which has the potential to be nuclear capable. A 150km version of the Prithvi is already in use by the army.
India said Pakistan had been informed about the “routine” test.
“Our view is that this is part of our routine integrated guided missile programme,” spokesman P.K. Bandopadhyay told AFP.
“It is a routine test and takes place each year around this time. It has nothing to do with war-mongering. It has no correlation with the present situation.”
Even before the latest test was carried out, Canadian Foreign Minister Bill Graham expressed deep concern over India’s intention and urged it to cancel the tests.
“Canada deeply regrets that India is once again planning to test nuclear-capable ballistic missiles, particularly at a time when tensions with Pakistan remain high,” Graham said in a statement.
S.K. Singh, India’s former high commissioner to Islamabad, said nothing should be read into the test.
However, Uday Bhaskar, deputy head of the government-funded Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses, said: “The test is one more step in enhancing India’s overall weapons of mass destruction capability”.
Jane’s Strategic Weapons System estimates India has 100 to 150 warheads and Pakistan 25 to 50.—Agencies