People’s Daily recently reported that the Indian Defense Research and Development Organization (DRDO) announced a test launch of its Agni-V intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM). The Agni-V claims a range of 5,000 kilometers with an effective weapon load of one ton. Since the range is far enough to cover all of China if launched in the northern part of India, Indian domestic media widely believed this is the best weapon to counterbalance China. According to DRDO, this is the fourth test launch of the Agni-V, and they are still examining the data collected to validate the correctness of the design. Experts expressed their belief that this launch seems to be the final acceptance test for the Agni-V. Once passed, the next step may be final ground tests before production. Indian media have been bragging about the coverage to Stockholm, Sweden, and Harbin, China, if launched from Amritsar, thanks to Agni-V’s mobility feature. However, the swift mobile launch capability they have been dreaming about may not actually be available any time soon. Thus, the real “threat” that China must pay attention to is yet to be formed. The Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs commented on the launch. It stated that the UN Security Council has already made a clear resolution on whether or not India can develop an ICBM that can carry nuclear warheads.
Source: People’s Daily, December 27, 2016
http://military.people.com.cn/n1/2016/1227/c1011-28978929.html