India's Strategic Reach

Agni-V on parade. (AP photo)

Agni-V on parade.
(AP photo)

India is getting serious about building an ICBM

On Sunday, S.K. Salwan, the chairman of the Armament Research Board at India’s Defense Research and Development Organization (DRDO), confirmed a subject of long-term speculation — that India is capable of developing an ICBM capable of striking targets beyond the 10,000 km range.

The Agni V, India’s has a range of 5,000 km which allows it cover the entirety of Asia, parts of North Africa, Eastern Europe, and Russia.

It is currently India’s longest range ICBM that has been successfully tested and is capable of delivering a 1,000 kg payload.

“India has successfully test fired nuclear capable Agni V missile recently which has a range of 5,000 kms. But we are capable of developing ICBM that can hit targets beyond the range of 10,000 kilometers,” Salwan told a conference in Vadodara, Gujarat.

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Um… why?

India’s immediate threats are mostly of the homegrown terror variety — mostly Islamists in the west and Communists in the East. Its only strategic threats are Pakistan and China, both of which are easily in range of India’s existing missiles.

So the question remains: Why?

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