India plans this week to
test-fire for the first time
the longest-range missile
in its arsenal, a weapon
that would enable the
South Asian nation’s
military to target parts of
northern China and eastern
Europe.
The Agni V, with a range of
more than 5,000
kilometers (3,107 miles)
and the capacity to carry a
nuclear warhead, may be
launched from the eastern
India state of Odisha as
early as tomorrow,
according to a government
official. He declined to be
identified because he is not
authorized to publicly
discuss the timing of the
event.
“This missile is about
neutralizing the threat
coming from China,” said
Uday Bhaskar, a former
commodore in the Indian
navy and now an analyst
at the New Delhi-based
National Maritime
Foundation, a research
group. “The tests are about
trying to create equality
with China rather than
trying to outdo it.”
A successful test of the
rocket would take India a
step closer to becoming
the sixth country known to
deploy intercontinental
ballistic missiles, those that
can travel more than 5,500
kilometers. The five
permanent members of
the United Nations Security
Council -- the U.S., China,
Russia, the U.K. and France
-- are the only other
countries with that
capability, according to the
International Institute for
Strategic Studies based in
London.
Sitanshu Kar, a defense
ministry spokesman,
declined to comment on
the date of this week’s
test. V.K. Saraswat, head of
the state-owned Defence
Research & Development
Organisation, which makes
the missile series, said
March 19 that a test-firing
of the Agni V was likely in
April.
Fighter Jets
The rocket weighs about
50 tons and is almost 20
meters high, according to
Ravi Kumar Gupta, a DRDO
spokesman. The timing of
the test depends on factors
including weather
conditions, he said.
Economic growth that has
averaged 8.5 percent over
the last decade is enabling
India to increase spending
on military and space
programs as it bids to keep
pace with its northern
neighbor, China.
India, the world’s second
most populous country
after China, is in the final
stages of negotiating the
purchase of 126 Rafale
fighter jets from Paris-
based Dassault Aviation SA
(AM) in what will be the
world’s biggest military
contract for warplanes in
15 years. This month, it
inducted a Russian-made
nuclear- powered
submarine into its navy.
China, Pakistan
India will increase total
defense spending by 13
percent this financial year
as it seeks to modernize its
armed forces to counter
China’s military buildup
and threats from
traditional rivals such as
Pakistan. Total spending
will rise to $38 billion,
more than four times
government spending on
health, according to figures
in the federal budget,
released March 16.
China is set to raise
military spending by 11
percent this year as rising
economic interests,
territorial disputes and
expanding global
commitments drive
demand for warships,
missiles and fighter jets. Its
defense outlays of more
than $100 billion per year
are second only to the U.S.,
which along with Europe
has maintained an arms
embargo against the
leadership in Beijing since
a 1989 crackdown against
protesters.
The development of the
Agni V is significant
because it means India will
be capable of reaching
distant yet strategically
important targets in parts
of northern China for the
first time, according to
Bhaskar. The missile will
have to be successfully
tested four to five times
before it can become
operational, perhaps
around 2014, he said.
Missile Series
Agni, named for the Hindi-
language word for fire, is a
series of missiles that India
has tested since 2002. The
smallest has a range of
700 kilometers aimed at
fortifying the country’s
borders.
China and India share a
disputed 3,550-kilometer
Himalayan border, with
each country claiming
territory the other has
ruled since a 1962 war.
India has also fought three
wars with Pakistan since
the two countries gained
independence from British
colonial rule in 1947.
India accuses China of
occupying 38,000 square
kilometers (14,670 square
miles) of territory in
Jammu and Kashmir, while
the government in Beijing
lays claim to 90,000 square
kilometers of land in
Arunachal Pradesh, a state
in India’s east. The two
sides have been unable to
resolve their disputes after
more than a dozen rounds
of discussions since 2005.
The test-firing of India’s
missile comes at a time of
rising international tension
over North Korea’s recent
failed test of a long-range
rocket.
While North Korea said the
launch was intended to
put a satellite into orbit,
the U.S. said it violated
United Nations sanctions
1718 and 1874, which ban
any usage of ballistic
missile and nuclear
technologies by the
impoverished state.
The U.S. scrapped a
February plan to provide
240,000 tons of food aid
after the rocket was fired.

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mobile.bloomberg.com/news/2012-04-16/india-plans-test-of-missile-capable-of-reaching-northern-china.html

Why is everybody looking for trouble with china?

careytommy: Why is everybody looking for trouble with china?

Ask them oh

when is Naija going to test it's own home made long range missile?(that can target South Africa or Spain, distance wise.)