India test-fires nuclear capable Agni-V ballistic missile

NEW DELHI: India successfully test-fired a surface-to-surface nuclear capable intercontinental ballistic missile Agni-V off Abdul Kalam Island in its eastern state of Odisha, local media reported.

The home-grown ballistic missile was blast-off at 9:50am local time on Sunday. Local media reports quoted defence officials as saying that the test was conducted from the Integrated Test Range (ITR) on the island.

"The longest range nuclear capable missile was test-fired clear sky and started rising exactly the way it was designed for," India's Defence Research Development Organisation (DRDO) was quoted as saying. "The flight performance of the missile having a range of 5,000km was tracked and monitored by radars, range stations and tracking systems all through the mission," it said. The first test of Agni-V was conducted in 2012.