India ready to hit northern China |
India is getting ready to test its Agni-V intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) in its final operational configuration from Wheeler Island off Odisha after two years.Defence sources said preparations were on in full swing to launch the nuclear-capable Agni-V from its canister on a launcher truck towards December-end or early January. There were some minor technical snags in Agni-V, which required tweaking of its internal battery and electronic configurations after its last test in January 2015. But India also conceivably wanted to exercise some strategic restraint while making a bid to join the 48-country Nuclear Suppliers Group , which China thwarted earlier this year. India, however, did manage to join the 34-nation Missile Technology Control Regime ( MTCR ), as also ink a civil nuclear cooperation agreement with Japan recently .The impending fourth test of Agni-V, capable of striking even the northernmost parts of China, is in itself significant. This will be the final test of the three-stage Agni-V, which will be tested for its full range, before the Strategic Forces Command (SFC) begins its user trials. The tri-Service SFC, established in 2003 to manage India`s nuclear arsenal, will conduct at least two tests before the missile is produced in adequate numbers for induction.
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