India test fires nuclear-capable missile

[Naveed Yaseen]

NEW DELHI (May 20 2009): India test-fired a nuclear-capable missile on Tuesday with a range of up to 1,860 miles (3,000 kilometers), a defence ministry official said. The surface-to-surface "Agni-II" (Fire) missile was fired from Wheelers Island in the eastern state of Orissa as a trial by the army, the official said on condition of anonymity in line with ministry rules.

The area is 100 miles (160 kilometers) north of Bhubaneshwar, the capital of Orissa state. The missile can carry both conventional and nuclear warheads weighing up to 2,200 pounds (1,000 kilograms), the official said.

India's current crop of missiles are mostly intended for confronting neighbouring archrival Pakistan, but the Agni-II can put areas in southern China within a striking range, said Rahul Bedi, a defence analyst with Jane's Defence Weekly, a weekly magazine reporting on military affairs.

India and long-time rival Pakistan routinely test-fire missiles, but usually notify each other ahead of the launches in keeping with an agreement between the two nations. It was not immediately known whether New Delhi informed Islamabad about Tuesday's test.

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