India Test-Fires Nuclear-Capable Agni-V ICBM
India has successfully launched its most advanced intercontinental ballistic missile. The Agni-V has a range of more than 5,000km and can carry a 1.5-ton nuclear warhead
IsraelDefense
| 18/01/2018
The Agni-V missile displayed during Republic Day parade in New Delhi (Photo: AP)
India test-fired its Agni-V intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) in its final operational configuration, the Indian Defense Ministry said on Thursday.
The missile was launched from the Abdul Kalam Island off the Odisha coast. According to the Times of India, it is not clear at this point whether the first "user-trial" of the nuclear-capable missile had met all the parameters laid down for the test.
The Agni-V, believed to be India's most advanced ICBM, has a range of more than 5,000km and can carry a 1.5-ton nuclear warhead. During the test, the three-stage, 17-meter tall, two-meter-wide missile traveled for 19 minutes and covered 4,900km.
The Agni-V has been tested five times since 2012, with the most recent being in December 2016, CNN adds. That launch drew the ire of India's two most important geostrategic adversaries: Pakistan and China, both in range of the missile.
Once the Agni-V is inducted, India will join an exclusive list of countries with ICBMs, alongside the United States, Russia, China, France and the UK.
India has successfully launched its most advanced intercontinental ballistic missile. The Agni-V has a range of more than 5,000km and can carry a 1.5-ton nuclear warhead
The Agni-V missile displayed during Republic Day parade in New Delhi (Photo: AP)
India test-fired its Agni-V intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) in its final operational configuration, the Indian Defense Ministry said on Thursday.
The missile was launched from the Abdul Kalam Island off the Odisha coast. According to the Times of India, it is not clear at this point whether the first "user-trial" of the nuclear-capable missile had met all the parameters laid down for the test.
The Agni-V, believed to be India's most advanced ICBM, has a range of more than 5,000km and can carry a 1.5-ton nuclear warhead. During the test, the three-stage, 17-meter tall, two-meter-wide missile traveled for 19 minutes and covered 4,900km.
The Agni-V has been tested five times since 2012, with the most recent being in December 2016, CNN adds. That launch drew the ire of India's two most important geostrategic adversaries: Pakistan and China, both in range of the missile.
Once the Agni-V is inducted, India will join an exclusive list of countries with ICBMs, alongside the United States, Russia, China, France and the UK.
