India test fires ballistic missile from underwater platform

NEW DELHI, Jan 27: India on Sunday made a major stride towards completing its nuclear triad capability by successfully test firing a nuclear-capable ballistic missile from an underwater platform in Bay of Bengal.

Completion of the nuclear triad will give India the ability to fire nuclear-tipped missiles from land, air and sea.

This is the first missile in the underwater category to have been fully developed by India and can be launched from a submarine.

"The medium range K-5 ballistic missile was test fired successfully today from an underwater pontoon and all parameters of the test firing were met," Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) chief V K Saraswat said from an undisclosed test area.

Officials said more than 10 trials of the missile had been carried out earlier.

Today's was the last development trial of K-5.

Only a select few nations including the US, France, Russia and China have this type of missile capability, they said.

The development phase of the K-5 missile, which comes in the category of submarine-launched ballistic missile (SLBM), was over and it was now ready for deployment on various platforms including the around 6,000-tonne indigenous nuclear submarine INS Arihant which is under development, Saraswat said.

K-5 is part of the family of underwater missiles being developed by DRDO for the Indian strategic forces' underwater platforms.

The missile, which is also known as BO5, has been developed by DRDO's Hyderabad-based Defence Research and Development Laboratory (DRDL).

This missile will help India to achieve the capability of launching nuclear warheads from underwater facilities.

So far, India had the capability of delivering nuclear weapons from land and aerial platforms only.

Nuclear capable Prithvi-II test successful

NEW DELHI, Dec 20: India on Thursday successfully test-fired its indigenously developed nuclear capable Prithvi-II missile with a strike range of 350 km from a test range at Chandipur near Balasore (Odisha).

The surface-to-surface missile was test fired from a mobile launcher in salvo mode from launch complex-3 of Integrated Test Range at about 9:21 AM, defence sources said on Thursday.

The launch of the sophisticated missile, conducted as part of operational exercise by the Strategic Force Command (SFC) of the defence services, was successful, they said.

"The missile was randomly chosen from the production stock and the total launch activities were carried out by the specially formed SFC and monitored by the scientists of Defence Research & Development Organisation (DRDO) as part of practice drill," sources said.

The Prithvi-II missile, developed by the DRDO, is already inducted into the Indian Armed forces.

Prithvi, the first missile developed under India's prestigious Integrated Guided Missile Development Programme (IGMDP), is capable of carrying 500 kg to 1000 kg of warheads and thrusted by liquid propulsion twine engines, uses advanced inertial guidance system with manoeuvring trajectory.

The last trial of Prithvi-II was successfully carried out from the same base on 4th October 2012.

India Tests Super Missile Agni-V, Enters Elite ICBM Club

NEW DELHI, April 19: India on Thursday took a giant leap in fortifying its strategic capability by successfully test-firing its nuclear capable Agni-V Inter-Continental Ballistic Missile (ICBM) with a strike range of 5,000 km, bringing China and the neighbouring region under its cover.

With this, India joined the elite missile club of the US, Russia, France and China.

The surface-to-surface Agni-V is capable of striking a target more than 5,000 km away. It is about 17-metres-long and two-metres-wide with launch weight of around 50 tonnes.

The sophisticated missile can carry a nuclear warhead of more than one tonne.

"We had a successful launch of Agni-V. The missile lifted off at 8.07 hours today," Defence Research and Development Organisation chief V K Saraswat said after the three-stage solid propellant missile was test fired from launch complex-4 of Integrated Test Range (ITR) in Wheeler Island off the Odisha coast.

Agni-V had a smooth and perfect vertical lift-off from the launcher and a thorough analysis was done to assess its health parameters after retrieval of data from the wide range of sophisticated communication network systems, Saraswat said.

"The sleek missile, within a few seconds of its blast-off from the Island launch pad roared majestically into the sky leaving behind its a trajectory a trail of thin orange and white smoke before disappearing," a defence official said.

The test-fire, which was originally scheduled to be held on Wednesday, had to be deferred at the last moment for safety reasons due to bad weather marked by rains and heavy lightning.

New Delhi's deterrence capability will now be further strengthened and it will push its case for having a greater say at multilateral fora.

India has at present in its armoury of Agni series, Agni 1 with 700 km range, Agni 2 with 2,000 km range, Agni 3 and Agni 4 with 2,500 km to more than 3,500 km range.

Hailing the successful launch of the indigenously developed missile, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said it represents another milestone in India's quest to add to its security preparedness.

Defence Minister A K Antony described the maiden test flight of Agni-V as an "immaculate success" and a "major milestone".

"The nation stands tall today. We have joined the elite club of nations (to possess the ICBM capability)," Antony told Saraswat on phone after the test flight of the missile was declared successful.

ITR Director S P Dass said, "It was a perfect launch and the missile hit the pre-determined target and the mission met all its parameters. "We can call it an ICBM as it has the capability to travel from one continent to another," Dass said.

"The missile achieved exactly what we wanted to achieve in this mission. This missile from the prime board to launch pad has happened in about three years," the missile's Programme Director Avinash Chandra said.

The test-firing of Agni-V demonstrated giant strides taken by India in its integrated missile development programme, he said.

Preparation for Agni-V test had gathered momentum after India achieved successful results from the first development trial of Agni IV, which has a strike range of more than 3,500 km, from the same launch pad on November 15, 2011.

Apart from Saraswat, who is also the scientific advisor to the Defence Minister, a host of top defence scientists, military officials and functionaries of concerned agencies were present at the site to monitor, supervise and witness the maiden test of the new generation missile.

Top scientists present at the test site said at least 20 laboratories of the DRDO were engaged for several months to prepare the state-of-the-art missile.

About 800 scientists, staff and support personnel had been engaged to make the first ever launch of the Agni-V a success, they said.

Unlike other missiles of indigenously built Agni series, the latest one - Agni V - is the most advanced version having several new technologies incorporated in it in terms of navigation and guidance, warhead and engine, said a scientist associated with the project.

Satish Reddy, architect of the missile navigation systems, said, "The systems have worked with high accuracy... We don't require any more technology from anybody else.

DRDO plans to conduct more such tests of the missile over the next one year after studying and analysing the parameters achieved in each subsequent trial, defence sources said.

Regarding the timeline fixed for fully developing the Agni V, Saraswat had earlier said another year of testing would be required.

Known as 'Agni Lady', an elated Katy Thomas, who has been involved with the Agni project, said, "Today we have done a great event for the country. The mission was perfect with all the events being recorded and we had a perfect separation. The stages of guidance system worked wonderfully. "All the teamwork which has gone in for the last three years has given fruitful result today," she added.

It's time to resolve Siachen: Kayani

ISLAMABAD, April 18: Calling for demilitarisation of the Siachen glacier for the development of Pakistan and environmental reasons, Chief of the Army Staff (COAS) Ashfaq Parvez Kayani on Wednesday advocated peaceful coexistence with India, adding that the civil and military leaderships of the two countries should discuss ways to resolve the issue.

Interacting with journalists at Skardu after visiting Gayari — the site of the avalanche in Siachen that buried 124 soldiers of the 6 Northern Light Infantry and 11 civilians early on April 7 — General Kayani said Pakistan was not manning those treacherous heights out of choice. “The world knows why we are in Siachen,” referring to the Pakistani narrative that it was India which started this dispute in 1984.

“This conflict should be resolved. How it is done is to be decided by the military and civil leaderships of the two countries,” General Kayani said, pointing out that the issue had been discussed several times. “Sometimes we get close to a resolution but then issues come up.”

Maintaining that peaceful coexistence between the two neighbours was very important, the COAS said the Army understood well the need to bring down the defence budget. “We in the Army understand very well that there should be a very good balance between defence and development because ultimately security does not only mean secure borders but the welfare of the people. We would like to spend less on defence; any country should do the same way.”

About the harm caused to the environment by the military occupation of the Siachen glacier, General Kayani conceded the point. “This is the glacier that feeds our rivers, particularly the Indus. We understand that physical deployment of troops will affect our rivers and water management is needed.” In fact, according to him, the effect of militarisation of Siachen on the environment was not just a local issue but a global problem.

As to how long the Army proposed to continue with the ongoing operations to recover bodies of the men buried under 80 feet of snow, the COAS said that till every man was located. “If we have to take out this mountain, we will do that. It is not time-bound. We are not going to give up on this,” he asserted, pointing out that the highest Pakistani post in Siachen was at a height of 22,300 ft, where the soldiers survive without oxygen and proper heating.