India tests nuclear missile that can hit Beijing

[jimmy olsen]

CdM is pleased.

http://www.usatoday.com/news/world/story/2012-04-18/india-missle-test-china/54401732/1

India tests nuclear missile that can hit Beijing
Updated 28m ago

    Comments

NEW DELHI (AP) – India announced Thursday that it had successfully test launched a new nuclear-capable missile that would give it, for the first time, the capability of striking the major Chinese cities of Beijing and Shanghai.

The government has hailed the Agni-V missile, with a range of 5,000 kilometers (3,100 miles), as a major boost to its efforts to counter China's regional dominance and become an Asian power in its own right.

The head of India's Defense Research and Development Organization, Vijay Saraswat, said the missile was launched at 8:07 a.m. from Wheeler Island off India's east coast.

It rose to an altitude of more than 600 kilometers (370 miles), its three stages worked properly and its payload was deployed as planned, he told Times Now news channel.

"India has emerged from this launch as a major missile power," he said.

The window for the launch opened Wednesday night, but the test had to be postponed because of weather conditions.

Avinash Chandra, mission director for the test, said that when the launch took place Thursday morning the missile performed as planned.

"We have achieved exactly what we wanted to achieve in this mission," he told Times Now.

The Agni-V is a solid-fuel, three-stage missile designed to carry a 1.5-ton nuclear warhead. It stands 17.5 meters (57 feet) tall, has a launch weight of 50 tons and was built at a reported cost of 25 billion rupees ($486 million). It can be moved across the country by road or rail and can be used to carry multiple warheads or to launch satellites into orbit.

The missile will need four or five more trials before it can be inducted into India's arsenal at some point in 2014 or 2015, Indian officials said.

China is far ahead of India in the missile race, with intercontinental ballistic missiles capable of reaching anywhere in India. Currently, the longest-range Indian missile, the Agni-III, has a range of only 3,500 kilometers (2,100 miles) and falls short of many major Chinese cities.

India hailed Thursday's test as a major step in its fight to be seen as a world power.

"India has today become a nation with the capability to develop, produce, build long-range ballistic missiles and today we are among the six countries who have this capability," Saraswat said.

India and China fought a war in 1962 and continue to nurse a border dispute. India has also been suspicious of Beijing's efforts to increase its influence in the Indian Ocean in recent years.

"While China doesn't really consider India any kind of a threat or any kind of a rival, India definitely doesn't think in the same way," said Rahul Bedi, a defense analyst in New Delhi.

India already has the capability of hitting anywhere inside archrival Pakistan, but has engaged in a splurge of defense spending in recent years to counter the perceived Chinese threat.

The Indian navy took command of a Russian nuclear submarine earlier this year, and India is expected to take delivery of a retrofitted Soviet-built aircraft carrier soon.

The new Agni, named for the Hindi word for fire, is part of this military buildup and was designed to hit deep inside China, Bedi said.

Government officials said the missile should not be seen as a threat.

"We have a declared no-first-use policy, and all our missile systems, they are not country specific. There is no threat to anybody," said Ravi Gupta, spokesman for the Defense Research and Development Organization, which built the missile. "Our missile systems are purely for deterrence and to meet our security needs."

The test came days after North Korea's failed long-range rocket launch. North Korea said the rocket was launched to put a satellite into space, but the U.S. and other countries said it was a cover for testing long-range missile technology.

One Delhi-based Western diplomat dismissed comparisons with the international condemnation of North Korea's launch, saying that Pyongyang was violating U.N. Security Council resolutions requiring it to suspend its missile program, while India is not considered a global threat. The diplomat spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to comment on India's security affairs.

In Washington, State Department spokesman Mark Toner said the United States urges all nuclear-capable states to exercise restraint regarding nuclear capabilities.

"That said, India has a solid non-proliferation record," he told a news briefing. "They're engaged with the international community on non-proliferation issues."

Some reports characterized the Agni-V as an intercontinental ballistic missile — which would make India one of the few countries to have that capability — but Gupta and analysts said its range fell short of that category.

India has no need for such sophisticated weapons, said Rajaram Nagappa, a missile expert and the head of the International Strategic and Security Studies Program at the National Institute of Advanced Studies in Bangalore.

"I don't think our threat perceptions are anything beyond this region," he said.

[Razgovory]

I didn't know the Indians were becoming wary of the Chinese.  Must be because of that port the ChiComs built in Pakistan.

[jimmy olsen]

I didn't know the Indians were becoming wary of the Chinese.  Must be because of that port the ChiComs built in Pakistan.

They fought a war in '62 and have outstanding border claims.

[CountDeMoney]

I didn't know the Indians were becoming wary of the Chinese.  Must be because of that port the ChiComs built in Pakistan.

Where's you been since Indian independence?

This is good news indeed.

[Josquius]

interesting how  every bloody forum is getting this posted with obvious undertones of "we want war!111" whilst this news:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-india-17738147
goes unnoticed.

[Eddie Teach]

How many forums have you seen this story on?

[Camerus]

interesting how  every bloody forum is getting this posted with obvious undertones of "we want war!111" whilst this news:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-india-17738147
goes unnoticed.

Given the way that official Chinese newspapers themselves are referring to it, it's not a surprise.  Below is an article from the English language Global Times, an official mouthpiece of the CPC.

India being swept up by missile delusion
Global Times | April 19, 2012 00:38
By Global Times    

India announced a test of its long-range nuclear-capable Agni V missile. The missile has a range of over 5,000 kilometers, meaning it could reach China. India apparently is hoping to enter the global intercontinental missile club, despite intercontinental missiles normally having a range of over 8,000 km.

India has moved rapidly in developing missile technology. It successfully launched the Agni IV with a range of 3,500 km last year. Indian public opinion has long seen China as its reference point for military development.

It seems India's path for boosting its military strength has not met too many obstacles. India is still poor and lags behind in infrastructure construction, but its society is highly supportive of developing nuclear power and the West chooses to overlook India's disregard of nuclear and missile control treaties. The West remains silent on the fact that India's military spending increased by 17 percent in 2012 and the country has again become the largest weapons importer in the world.

India should not overestimate its strength. Even if it has missiles that could reach most parts of China, that does not mean it will gain anything from being arrogant during disputes with China. India should be clear that China's nuclear power is stronger and more reliable. For the foreseeable future, India would stand no chance in an overall arms race with China.

India should also not overstate the value of its Western allies and the profits it could gain from participating in a containment of China. If it equates long range strategic missiles with deterrence of China, and stirs up further hostility, it could be sorely mistaken.

China and India should develop as friendly a relationship as possible. Even if this cannot be achieved, the two should at least tolerate each other and learn to coexist.

Their status as newly emerging countries shows the two should cooperate on the international stage. It would be unwise for China and India to seek a balance of power by developing missiles. 

The geopolitics of Asia will become more dependent on the nature of Sino-Indian relations. The peace and stability of the region are crucial to both countries. China and India should both take responsibility for maintaining this peace and stability and be wary of external intervention.

China understands the Indian desire to catch up with China. China, as the most appropriate strategic target for India, is willing to take India as a peaceful competitor.

Due to historical reasons, China and India are sensitive toward each other. But objectively speaking, China does not spend much time guarding against India, while India focuses a lot of attention on China.

China hopes India will remain calm, as this would be beneficial to both giants. 

http://www.globaltimes.cn/NEWS/tabid/99/ID/705627/India-being-swept-up-by-missile-delusion.aspx

[CountDeMoney]

China does not spend much time guarding against India,

Well it should, Mr. Yellow, because their cyber warriors are every bit as good as yours.

[Tamas]

China does not spend much time guarding against India,

Well it should, Mr. Yellow, because their cyber warriors are every bit as good as yours.

Just because a lot of Indians are in IT, it doesn't mean they know anything about it.
Trust me.

[CountDeMoney]

China does not spend much time guarding against India,

Well it should, Mr. Yellow, because their cyber warriors are every bit as good as yours.

Just because a lot of Indians are in IT, it doesn't mean they know anything about it.
Trust me.

They're just not pointed in our direction.

[Razgovory]

I didn't know the Indians were becoming wary of the Chinese.  Must be because of that port the ChiComs built in Pakistan.

They fought a war in '62 and have outstanding border claims.

Yeah, India is like a battered spouse.  Always comes back to China hoping China won't hit her no more.

[Sheilbh]

I didn't know the Indians were becoming wary of the Chinese.  Must be because of that port the ChiComs built in Pakistan.

Hindi-Chini bhai bhai never really worked out.

[HVC]

I'm not sure if the above is racist or not

[Sheilbh]

I'm not sure if the above is racist or not

It was Nehru's slogan for Indo-Chinese relations.  It means Indians and Chinese are brothers.  He never trusted them though

[Razgovory]

I'm not sure if the above is racist or not

It was Nehru's slogan for Indo-Chinese relations.  It means Indians and Chinese are brothers.  He never trusted them though

Well hopefully not after the Chinese invaded.