India’s military successfully tested a medium-range, nuclear-capable missile yesterday after two failures, a Defense Ministry official said.
The surface-to-surface Agni-II (Fire) missile was test-fired by the army from Wheelers Island in the eastern state of Orissa, the official said on condition of anonymity in line with ministry rules.
The area is 170km north of Bhubaneshwar, the capital of Orissa State.
The missile can carry both conventional and nuclear warheads weighing up to 1,000kg, the official said.
ROUTINE
“It was a validation test to hone the missile’s accuracy and capability. It’s a routine ongoing procedure,” said Rahul Bedi, a defense analyst with Jane’s Defence Weekly, a weekly magazine reporting on military affairs.
Two previous tests failed last year.
India’s current crop of missiles are mostly intended for confronting arch-rival Pakistan, but the Agni-II, with a range of up to 2,000km, can put areas in southern China within striking distance.
India routinely test-fires missiles it is developing for military use, as does Pakistan. Both countries are usually informed ahead of time of the other’s tests in keeping with an agreement between the two nations.
It was not immediately known whether New Delhi informed Islamabad about yesterday’s test, which was unlikely to aggravate tensions between the two nations.
The foreign ministers of India and Pakistan are scheduled to meet in Islamabad for talks on July 15, as the nuclear-armed rivals try to resume a formal peace dialogue derailed by the 2008 Mumbai attacks.
India blames a Pakistani-based militant group for the attacks that killed 166 people.
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