Agni-V launch: With eye on China, India tests new long-range missile

Chinese foreign ministry says Beijing and New Delhi are ‘cooperative partners’.

BHUBANESWAR:

India on Thursday propelled itself into an elite club of nations with Inter-Continental Ballistic Missile (ICBM) technology by successfully test-firing nuclear-capable Agni-V, which is capable of delivering a one-tonne nuclear warhead anywhere in regional rival China and countries outside Asia.

And while the Chinese foreign ministry downplayed the tests, saying: “China and India are both big emerging countries, we are not rivals but cooperative partners,” the statements were in sharp contrast to a commentary published by the Global Times, one of the papers on the stable of the People’s Daily, which is owned by the Communist Party of China, The Times of India reported.

“Even if it (India) has missiles that could reach most parts of China, that does not mean it will gain anything from being arrogant during disputes with China,” Global Times said. “India should be clear that China’s nuclear power is stronger and more reliable. For the foreseeable future, India would stand no chance in an overall arms race with China,” the commentary read.

Meanwhile, Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh congratulated the nation’s defence scientists for the successful launch of the missile.

“I congratulate all the scientists and technical personnel of the DRDO (Defence Research and Development Organisation) who worked tirelessly in our endeavour to strengthen the defence and security of our country,” he said in a statement.

“The successful Agni V test launch represents another milestone in our quest to add to the credibility of our security and preparedness and to continuously explore the frontiers of science,” Singh said.

The 56-foot Agni V, with a range of more than 5,000 kilometres, was launched at 0235 GMT from a test site off the eastern state of Orissa.

It was an “immaculate success” and “a major milestone in India’s missile programme”, Defence Minister AK Antony said in comments released by his spokesman.

India views the 50-tonne Agni V as a key boost to its regional power aspirations and one that narrows – albeit slightly – the huge gap with China’s technologically advanced missile systems.

The successful test leaves India knocking at the door of a select club of nations with inter-continental ballistic missiles (ICBMs) with ranges of up to 8,000 kilometres.

Currently, only the five permanent members of the UN Security Council – Britain, China, France, Russia and the United States – possess a declared ICBM capability.

DRDO spokesman Ravi Gupta insisted the Agni V was a “non country-specific” deterrent, but analysts noted it extends India’s missile reach over the entire Chinese mainland, including military installations in the far northeast.

While the shorter-range Agnis I and II were mainly developed with arch-rival Pakistan in mind, later versions with a range of 3,500 kilometers are perceived as China-centric deterrents.

The Agni V test came just weeks after India returned to the elite group of countries with a nuclear-powered submarine when it inducted a new vessel leased from Russia.

China’s military arsenal is far larger and far more technologically advanced than India’s, which is why, according to Monika Chansoria, a senior fellow at the Delhi-based Centre for Land Warfare Studies, the Agni V is so important.

“What this missile does is enable India to upgrade its present strategic posture towards countries like China from one of dissuasion to one of credible deterrence,” Chansoria said.

India and China fought a brief but bloody war in 1962, and 15 rounds of talks on their frontier disputes have yielded no progress, amid fears in New Delhi that Beijing is becoming increasingly assertive about its territorial claims.

Published in The Express Tribune, April 20^th, 2012.