India test-fired a ballistic missile capable of carrying a nuclear warhead Thursday, the first such test in more than a year in a show of force by New Delhi that local reports said was designed to send a message to rival China.
The long range surface-to-surface Agni-5 — an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) capable of traveling more than 3,000 miles — was “successfully flight tested for its full range,” the Indian Ministry of Defense said in a statement.
The statement made no mention of China. But the Times of India quickly noted in a report Thursday that the test “brings the whole of Asia and China as well as parts of Europe and Africa within [New Delhi’s] nuclear strike envelope.”
The newspaper said Indian authorities intend to carry another Agni-5 test sometimes within the year so that India may “gate-crash into the super-exclusive club of countries with ICBMs … like the U.S., Russia, China, France and the UK.”
New Delhi wants a credible strategic deterrent against an aggressive and expansionist China, which has a large arsenal of nuclear-capable ballistic missiles, the report said.
Thursday’s test also comes amid ongoing diplomatic friction between India and neighboring Pakistan, which also has nuclear weapons. But some reports noted the timing of the test just months after tensions had soared between New Delhi and Beijing over a disputed patch of land in the Himalayas.
China and India have long been competitors, with relations straining periodically over the decades since the two fought a border war against each other in the Himalayas.
India has tested the Angi-5 on multiple occasions since 2012, with the most recent test occurring in late 2016.
• Guy Taylor can be reached at gtaylor@washingtontimes.com.
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