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India have successfully test-fired surface-to-surface strategic missile Agni-5 that can strike targets at ranges up to 5,000 km with a very high degree of accuracy, officials said.
The test-firing of the nuclear-capable missile was carried out around 7:50 PM from APJ Abdul Kalam Island in Odisha, they said.
“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 brief statement.
The work on the Agni 5 intercontinental ballistic missile project was started over a decade ago.
People familiar with the development said it was the first user trial of the missile which can bring the northernmost part of China under its striking range.
The successful test-firing of the missile, built by the Defence Research Development Organisation’s (DRDO), came in the midst of a lingering border standoff with China in eastern Ladakh.
The first test of the missile was carried out in April 2012 while the previous one was reportedly conducted around three years ago.
“The missile, which uses a three-stage solid fuelled engine, is capable of striking targets at ranges up to 5,000 kilometres,” the ministry said.
