India Thursday stormed into a select league of nations
that have the capability to hit targets over 5,000 km away when it successfully
tested the Agni-5 long-range nuclear-capability ballistic missile from the
Wheeler Island off Odisha coast.
With this successful test, India has joined nations like
US, Russia and China in that exclusive club.
The missile was fired from the test base at 8.07 am,
India's Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) chief Dr. VK
Saraswat said at the test site.
"India is today a nation with proven capability to
design, develop and produce a long-range ballistic missile. India is a missile
power now. The three-stage Agni-5 missile's entire performance has been
successfully demonstrated. All mission objectives and operational targets have
been met," a jubilant Saraswat was quoted as saying.
Agni-5 is short of being called an inter-continental
ballistic missile (ICBM). India's neighbour, China, has the DF-31A ICBM in its
arsenal that can hit targets all over Asia and can reach Europe and even the
Americas.
India's Agni-5, though, can hit targets in the whole of
Pakistan and most part of China, including its capital Beijing.
The Agni-5 will go through a series of tests before its
planned induction into Indian defence forces by end of 2014.
The 50-tonne Agni-5 is 17.5-metres tall and it reached an
altitude of 600 km during the test and touched a velocity of 7,000 metres per second,
enabling the payload to achieve the 5,000 km range.
Soon after the test, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh hailed
the Agni-5 success as "another milestone" in the country's
"quest for security, preparedness and to explore the frontiers of
science."
"I congratulate all the scientific and technical
personnel of the DRDO and other organisations who have worked tirelessly in our
endeavour to strengthen the defence and security of our country," Singh
said in his message.
"Today's successful Agni-5 test launch represents
another milestone in our quest to add to the credibility of our security and
preparedness and to continuously explore the frontiers of science. The nation
stands together in honouring the scientific community," he said.
The Prime Minister's Office also tweeted that Singh spoke
to Saraswat and congratulated his team for the success.
Defence Minister AK Antony too spoke to Saraswat and
Agni-V Project Director Avinash Chander to congratulate them for "this
immaculate success," defence ministry spokesperson Sitanshu Kar said.
Antony described the development as a major milestone in
the country’s missile programme and said that "the nation is indeed
proud" of its defence scientists. He also recalled "the untiring
contributions of former DRDO chief M. Natarajan.
The Agni-5 programme has Tessy Thomas, a woman missile
scientist, as the number two in the project. Thomas was the project director
for India's 3,500-km Agni-4 missile that was successfully tested in November
2011.
