JAKARTA - India successfully conducted a long-range intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) test with the aim of strengthening its deterrence on Thursday, following tensions at the border with China.
Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pralhad Joshi said the missile was fired from Abdul Kalam Island in eastern Odisha State.
"The missile will add huge value to defense and strengthen national security to a greater level," Joshi tweeted, citing a range of 5,400 kilometers (3,300 miles) or more, reported by the Daily Sabah December 15.
Joshi wrote the missile as an Agni-V nuclear-capable intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM).
Ahead of the test, Indian authorities issued a notification and declared Bengal Bay a no-fly zone, Indian media reports said.
The missile is said to have coverage covering almost the entire mainland of China. Later, the border between the two countries caught up, following clashes between their soldiers on December 9, along the disputed border in Arunachal Pradesh State.
Historical milestone! India successfully test fires Agni- 5 intercontinental nuclear capable ballistic missile from Abdul Kalam Island. The missile will add great value to the defense and strengthen national security to a greater extent as it can travel 5400+ plus kilometres.
— Pralhad Joshi (@JoshiPralhad) December 15, 2022
Indian Defense Minister Rajnathan Singh said no Indian soldiers were seriously injured and troops from both sides were immediately withdrawn from the area. A statement from the Indian army Monday said troops on both sides suffered minor injuries.
Rahul Bedi, a defense analyst, said this was the second trial by India's Strategic Forces Command since its inauguration in 2018. The first trial will take place in 2021.
Bedi said Indian authorities were unaware of the whereabouts of China's spy ships reported in the region, and continued testing.
It is known, India has developed a family of intermediate to intercontinental ballistic missiles called "Agni", which means "fire". The Agni missile is a long-range, nuclear-capable surface-to-surface ballistic missile.
For decades, India and China have been fighting over the Actual Control Line, a loose demarcation separating territory controlled by China and India from Ladakh in the west to the Arunachal Pradesh State in eastern India, which China claims as a whole. India and China have fought this border in 1962.
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