India to test submarine based ballistic missile that can be tipped with nuclear warhead

Mon Feb 18, 12:59 PM ET



NEW DELHI (AFP) - India will soon conduct its first test of a submarine-based ballistic missile which can be tipped with a nuclear warhead, an official announced on Monday.

ADVERTISEMENT

The experimental missile will be fired from a submerged pontoon, said S. Prahlada, chief controller of India's Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO).

"We have completed all preparations for the first-ever test launch of the missile and are awaiting the government's nod," Prahlada told reporters on the sidelines of a major arms fair in the Indian capital.

The missile, named K-15, has a top range of 700 kilometres (438 miles).

If the test is successful, India will be capable of launching missiles from air, land, ships and submarines, and it will join an elite group that includes the United States, Russia, France and China, experts said.

The announcement comes two months after India's chief military scientist M. Natarajan said that New Delhi would test a ballistic missile with a range of 6,000 kilometres (3,800 miles) in 2008.

Prahlada said the K-15 missile, following its experimental launch, will be "integrated" with a nuclear-powered submarine that India is building.

He also said DRDO scientists would carry out another test of the 4,000-kilometre (2,480 miles) range Agni-III ballistic missile, which could hit targets deep inside China.

"We are just awaiting the weather condition to improve to go ahead with the test," he said, adding the missile would be deployed after two further tests.

Prahlada also announced that New Delhi had given the green light to a 625-million-dollar joint venture with Israel to build surface-to-air missiles for the Indian navy.

The DRDO's production chief said India's array of ballistic and short-range missiles were also ready for export.

Pakistan says India's missile projects could spark a potentially lethal arms race in South Asia.