NEW DELHI ¨C India tested its longest-range intercontinental missile on Thursday, the nation¡¯s defense ministry said, as part of efforts to build a nuclear deterrent against neighboring Pakistan and China.
The 5,000-km range (3,107-mile) Agni missile was tested from an island in India¡¯s eastern coast in the Bay of Bengal, the ministry stated on its official Twitter account.
It said the launch was ¡°a major boost to the defense capabilities¡± of India.
The Agni-V is an advanced version of the indigenously built Agni, or Fire, series, part of a program that started in the 1980s. It has been tested previously before.
New Delhi says it faces a twin threat from both bitter foe Pakistan, which is developing a nuclear and missile program of its own, and China.
In recent years, a long-running dispute has flared up with China over the Himalayan border.
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