India Test Fires Long-Range Missile Agni-V

India test fired its 5,000 km range Inter-Continental Ballistic Missile (ICBM) Agni-5 on April 18, 2012 from a test range in Wheeler island off the coast of Odisha.

Only the US, Russia, France and China possess the capability to operate an ICBM.

Defence Research & Development Organisation (DRDO) plans to conduct more such tests of the missile over the next one year after studying and analyzing the parameters achieved in each subsequent trial.

In November last year, DRDO had successfully test fired the 3,500 km range Agni-4 missile giving muscle to India's deterrent capability against the military adversaries.

Agni-5 is a three-stage, all solid fuel powered, 17-meter tall missile with capability to carry various forms of payload.