NEW DELHI -- Amid a lingering border row with China in eastern Ladakh, India has conducted a test of its nuclear-capable surface-to-surface ballistic missile the Agni-5, which can strike targets at ranges up to 5,000 km with "a very high degree of accuracy."
The "successful launch" of the missile was carried out from APJ Abdul Kalam Island in the eastern state of Odisha at 7:50 p.m. local time on Wednesday, a Defense Ministry statement said.
The test of the Agni-5 is in line with India's stated policy of having a "credible minimum deterrence" that underpins its commitment not to use nuclear weapons first in a conflict, according to the brief statement, which was not accompanied by photos of the launch.
Developed by India's Defense Research and Development Organization, the missile, which uses a three-stage solid-fuel engine, was first tested in 2012. The 17.5 meter-long, 50-ton intercontinental ballistic missile can carry a nuclear warhead of more than 1 ton, and can be transported and swiftly launched from anywhere.
The Agni-5 "is capable of neutralizing targets threatening India's Sovereignty & Territorial Integrity," Lt. Col. Abhinav Navneet, a Defense Ministry spokesperson, tweeted Thursday.
The Agni series of missiles was conceptualized in the 1980s with threats from neighboring Pakistan and China in mind.
Analysts point out that India has conducted several tests of the Agni-5 previously, but say the latest launch should be read in the context of the failure of the Oct. 10 India-China military talks to resolve the two countries' 17-month border standoff in eastern Ladakh.
"It is a signal to Beijing that India can use [the missile] when needed," N.C. Bipindra, a New Delhi-based defense and strategic affairs expert who is editor of the news portal Defence.Capital, told Nikkei Asia.
India and China have been locked in a tense border standoff in eastern Ladakh along their disputed Himalayan border since May 2020. A clash in the Galwan Valley left 20 Indian soldiers dead in June last year, the first deadly clash between the nuclear-armed Asian giants in 45 years. In February, China acknowledged for the first time that four of its soldiers were also killed in that clash.