India on Thursday successfully tested its first nuclear-capable intercontinental ballistic missile, joining a select group of countries that possess such technology. The Agni-V with a range of more than 5,000 kilometres was launched from a military base off the eastern state of Orissa and hit a target in the southern Indian Ocean, said the state-run Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), which built the missile.
"The Agni missile test has been a 100-per-cent success. The nation's dream has become a reality," DRDO spokesman Ravi Gupta said by telephone from the test range. "All mission objectives and operational targets have been met." "The ships located in mid-range and at the target point have tracked the vehicle (missile) and witnessed the final event," he added. With the successful test, India has become the sixth nation to possess intercontinental missiles.-The others are the five permanent members of the UN Security Council: the United States, Russia, China, France and Britain. "India is today a nation with proven capability to design, develop and produce a long-range ballistic missile," DRDO chief VK Saraswat said.