On Thursday, India announced a successful new missile test firing. It said the missile was capable of having a nuclear warhead attached and could travel as far away as Beijing. With the successful test, India declared itself a missile power.
The Agni-V missile could be seen in flight in video released by the Indian media. The test took place in Orissa, an eastern state. Indian’s Prime Minister congratulated the scientists of the country for contributing to the self-reliance in defense of the nation. The Defense chief of the country Vijay Saraswat said the country now is a match for the elite military powers of the world.
The missile that was tested has a range of about 5,000 km and is described as a quantum leap in strategic capability for India. The missile is capable of carrying a nuclear warhead as far as Shanghai and Beijing the China’s capital.
The community newspaper in China, the Global Times, responded to the test launch in India by sending out a warning. It said, “India would have no chance in an arms race against China” for the near future.
The longtime rival of India, Pakistan, did not release an official comment. However, Moazam Ahmad Khan a Foreign Ministry spokesman said that Pakistan found out about the missile test before the launch was made due to a standing bilateral agreement between the two countries.
