On Saturday, India test-fired its new strategic and new generation nuclear missile – coined Agni Prime – from its eastern coast.
As per a statement released by the Indian government, the missile is capable of hitting targets up to 2,000 km away.
The missile is tipped to tilt the balance of power in India's favour in the highly contested Indo-Pacific region.
"India today successfully test-fired the Agni Prime missile off the coast of Odisha in Balasore. Agni Prime is a new generation advanced variant of the Agni class of missiles. It is a canisterised missile with a range capability between 1,000 and 2,000 km," a government official said.
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh heaped praise on the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), India's premier weapons' research body, for the successful test.
The DRDO added that the missile test accomplished its objectives.
The organisation further mentioned that it monitored the high profile test with the help of radars, electro-optical stations, and telemetry, as well as ships positioned along the coast of Odisha.
Agni Prime is loaded with a host of new features and technologies, including an advanced propulsion system.
It was Agni Prime's second flight test. The missile's first test was conducted on 28 June and it is expected to be inducted in India's strategic forces soon.
In October, India had launched its first ever inter-continental ballistic missile, Agni 5, which has a range of over 5000 km.
With Agni 5, the country had joined an elite list of nations with long range ballistic missiles including Russia, the United States, China, France, the United Kingdom, and North Korea.