India test fires nuclear-capable missile
INDIA: India on Sunday test fired a medium-range nuclear-capable
ballistic missile capable of hitting most targets in neighbouring
Pakistan, a defence official said.
The Agni-1 missile, which has a range of more than 700 kilometres was
fired at 10:15 am from an island off the coast of the eastern state of
Orissa, the official said.
“The user trial of the missile passed the requisite expectations,”
said the official, speaking on condition of anonymity. The Agni,
Sanskrit for “fire” is a 12-metre (39-foot) medium-range ballistic
missile that can be fired from mobile launchers and can carry a one-tonne
warhead.
In April, India staged a successful test of Agni-III, its longest
range ballistic missile capable of transporting a nuclear warhead more
than 3,000 kilometres, putting targets deep inside China within its
reach.
India, which held nuclear weapons tests in 1998, has developed a
series of nuclear and conventional missile systems as part of a missile
development programme launched in 1983.
New Delhi, Sunday, AFP
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