India Tests Long-Range N-Capable Agni Ballistic Missile, Sends Message to China

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India Tests Long-Range N-Capable Agni Ballistic Missile, Sends Message to China

India on Oct 27 successfully tested its longest-range nuclear-capable ballistic Agni-series missile, in a clear message to its belligerent neighbour China that it can hit even Beijing that is over 5,000 km away.

Agni-5 was successfully launched from APJ Abdul Kalam Island (formerly Wheeler Island) in Odisha and that too at 19:50 hours. The tested missile is capable of striking targets at ranges up to 5,000 km with a very high degree of accuracy, a Ministry of Defence statement said after the test.

The missile uses a three-stage solid fuelled engine. 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'.

India and China have been at loggerheads with their armies having a faceoff at the Ladakh borders since April 2020. The latest talks to ease the military tension in Ladakh had failed miserably with both sides issuing strong statements disappoving of each other's stand on how to go about diffusing the situation. 

(Courtesy: Defence.Capital)

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