India wheels out new long-range missile in annual parade

The nuclear missile can hit anywhere in China.


Afp January 26, 2013
A surface-to-surface Agni V missile is displayed during the Republic Day parade in New Delhi. PHOTO: REUTERS

NEW DELHI: India wheeled out a new long-range nuclear missile that can hit anywhere in China as it celebrated its Republic Day with a big parade Saturday.

India successfully tested last April the Agni V missile, which has a range of 5,000 kilometres and can strike across the Chinese mainland and even hit targets as far away as Europe.

The first appearance in the annual parade of the Agni V - seen as marking a significant upgrade of India's nuclear deterrent - came along with the display of other military hardware acquired as part of a massive modernisation drive costing tens of billions of dollars.

The parade along New Delhi's ceremonial Rajpath, or King's Avenue, also included floats marking India's rich diversity and a tableau marking 100 years of Indian cinema wrapped in reels of film and embossed with movie names.

Large areas of the capital were sealed off for the celebrations - a traditional show of patriotic fervour - where Bhutan's king Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck was the chief guest.

India's shorter-range Agni I and II were developed with Pakistan in mind, while later versions reflect India's focus on China as well. India and China have prickly ties and a legacy of mistrust stemming from a brief border war in 1962.

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COMMENTS (51)

G. Din | 11 years ago | Reply

@Clear Black Bag: "@G. Din: I am sure you have forgotten or trying intentionally to forget 1965′s war in which you were defeated very very badly when Indian forces were trying to occupy Lahore ..." Indian forces chased Pakistani army right up to the eastern bank of Ichhogil Canal and camped there. Read your newspapers of the day. Pakistani army on the western bank hung their bedsheets to block the view of the Indians on the opposite bank. The only reason India did not cross the Ichhogil Canal to occupy Lahore was that India did not want to deal with a large civil population which would have required long-term infrastructural investment. Since India never planned to occupy Pakistan there was no benefit in occupying Lahore. Or so it was thought. In my opinion, it would have been psychologically devastating to Pakistanis if India had occupied Lahore for a short time. That alone would have been a good reason to do so.

Jawaad | 11 years ago | Reply

When any news relating to Pakistan or india, straight away go to comments. that's more interesting.lol

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