India testfires Agni V ballistic missile

India on Thursday testfired intercontinental ballistic missile Agni-V, having a strike range of over 5,000 km, from off the Odisha coast in eastern India.

The photo released by India's Defence Research and Development Organisation shows that the nuclear-capable missile Agni-V is test fired in Wheeler Island, off the coast of Odisha, India, Sunday, Sept. 15, 2013. [Photo: IC]

The missile testfiring is being dubbed as another step forward toward its eventual induction into the Strategic Forces Command (SFC). A few more user-trials are yet to be conducted before the 50-tonne missile is produced in adequate numbers for induction. The tri-Service SFC was established in 2003 to manage India's nuclear arsenal.

"We have successfully launched nuclear capable ballistic missile Agni-V today," media reports quoted Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman as saying.

Apart from the shorter-range missile "Prithvi" and "Dhanush," the SFC has already inducted the "Agni-I," "Agni-II" and "Agni-III" missiles in its arsenal.