With Agni-5 ballistic missiles, Beijing now within India’s range

BHUBANESWAR: India on Sunday successfully test-fired Agni-5, a nuclear-capable, intercontinental, surface-to-surface ballistic missile, that can reach Beijing or cover large parts of Europe. “It hit the target in a predefined trajectory. It met all the mission objectives,” Defence Research and Development Organisation ( DRDO) said in a statement.

In April last year, India, for the first time, tested Agni-5 missile with a range of about 5,000 km. Only China, France, Russia, the US, Britain and Israel have such long-range weapons. The Agni-5 is the most advanced version of the indigenously built Agni series. The earlier versions could reach Pakistan and some parts of China.

Capable of delivering nuclear warhead with high precision, the missile took off at 0850 hours from DRDO’s Launch Complex at Wheelar’s Island, off the coast of Odisha, flew on a predefined path and reached its destination with expected precision, the release added.