NEW DELHI: India on Wednesday successfully test-fired the ‘Agni-V’ missile, in a step to strengthen its policy of “credible minimum deterrence.”The Ministry of Defence said in a statement: “Intermediate Range Ballistic Missile ‘Agni-5’ was successfully test-fired from the Integrated Test Range, Chandipur in Odisha.”The launch validated all operational and technical parameters and was carried out under the aegis of the Strategic Forces Command, it added.TNIE had earlier reported that the surface-to-surface Agni-V uses a three-stage solid-fuelled engine and can strike targets up to 5,000 kilometres away with a high degree of accuracy.Designed and developed by the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), Agni-V is a canister-launched system transported by truck. With its range, it is viewed as a deterrent against China.Broadly classified as an intercontinental ballistic missile, it can carry a payload of 1.5 tonnes and weighs about 50 tonnes. India is the eighth country with ICBM capability after the United States, United Kingdom, Russia, China, France, Israel and North Korea.The Agni series ranges from Agni-I to Agni-V, with the latter the most advanced and first tested in 2012. Other missiles in the series include Agni-I (700 km range), Agni-II (2,000 km), and Agni-III and IV (2,500–3,500 km).
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