India successfully test-fired its longest range nuclear capable Agni V missile on Monday morning from a defense test facility in the eastern coast of Odisha. Agni-V is a canisterised, road-mobile nuclear-capable missile developed under a $375 million project sanctioned by the government in 2008.
This is the third successful test of the missile this year. Defense scientists along with the Strategic Forces Command tested the missile in January and June of this year.
China had openly expressed discontent over India's Agni-V project when the missile was tested in December 2016. China had said the test was against UN Security Council rules and that it threatened to disrupt the strategic geopolitical balance in South Asia.
Indian scientists aim to equip the Agni-V with multiple independently targetable re-entry vehicles (MIRVs). MIRVs are multiple warheads fitted on a single re-entry vehicle that help a ballistic missile to evade enemy missile defense systems. The Agni series of missiles have been developed by the Defence Research Development Organisation and are part of India's expensive and time-consuming quest for an integrated guided missile defense system.