India successfully test-fires nuclear-capable missile

[vector7]

Companion Thread:

Pakistan now has Nuclear capable Cruise Missiles as it turns to the Axis for support


India successfully test-fires nuclear-capable missile

By IBTimes Staff Reporter | June 9, 2011 4:43 AM EDT

ndia successfully test-fired surface-to-surface nuclear capable Prithvi II ballistic missile in the eastern state of Orissa on Thursday.


The Prithvi missile was fired from the Integrated Test Range (ITR) at Chandipur, about 230 km east of Bhubaneswar at 9 a.m.,a defense ministry official told local media.

“The flight test of the Prithvi II was like a text book launch,� an ITR official said.

The Prithvi missile with a range of 220 miles (350 kilometers) is capable of carrying a weapon of 1,100 to 2,200 pounds.

India and Pakistan are continuously developing new ballistic and cruise missile systems which are capable of delivering nuclear weapons.

“The South Asian neighbors have added 20-30 nuclear warheads each to their weapon store in the past year,� the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute said.

[vector7]

Prithvi-II test-fired today

Published on Thu, Jun 09, 2011 at 11:59 | Source : PTI
Updated at Thu, Jun 09, 2011 at 12:11

TAB Technologies www.tab-tech.co

India test-fired its indigenously developed nuclear-capable Prithvi-II ballistic missile from the Integrated Test Range at Chandipur near here as part of the user trial by the Army.

"The missile mounted on a mobile launcher was test-fired from the launch complex-3 in the ITR at around 0905 hours", defence officials said.

With a maximum striking range of 350 km, the missile is capable of carrying a pay-load of 500-1000 kg warhead.

"Prithvi-II missile had proved its robustness and accuracy during many trials earlier," an official of the Defence Research and development Organisation (DRDO) said.

"Taken from routine production lot during earlier user�s trials by the Army, the missile had achieved single digit accuracy reaching close to zero circular error probability (CEP)," they said.

The missile, which has features to deceive any anti ballistic missiles, had demonstrated flight duration of 483 seconds reaching a peak altitude of 43.5 km in 2008 user�s trial.

Similarly, as a part of the operational exercises by Armed forces, two Prithvi-II missiles, aimed at two different targets at 350 km from launch point of ITR, at Chandipur were successfully launched within minutes of each other on October 12, 2009 and all the mission objectives were met.

The sleek missile once again proved its accuracy on March 27 and June 18, 2010 from Chandipur. It was the fourth successful Prithvi-II flight within a period of eight months.

[American Patriot]

Here we go......

3...2....1....ZERO!

[Toad]

Tit for tat with the Paki's.

[vector7]

Going ballistic: Launch of 5,000km-range nuclear capable missile puts India into a select four-nation club

By Rakesh Dixit and Gautam Datt

PUBLISHED: 14:47 EST, 19 April 2012 | UPDATED: 14:47 EST, 19 April 2012

It was 'mission accomplished' as the nuclear-capable Agni-V hit the bullseye a few minutes after blasting off at 8.07 am on Thursday, propelling India into the elite league of powerhouse nations that possess long-range ballistic missiles capable of striking targets more than 5,000 km away.

The latest potent addition to the country's arsenal can penetrate Beijing and Shanghai in China, and all of Pakistan. The 17.5-metre-tall and 2-metre-wide surface-to-surface missile was launched from a mobile platform on Wheeler Island, off the Orissa coast in the Bay of Bengal.

It left behind an orange plume and rose to a height of 600 km before re-entering the atmosphere to hit a target over 5,000 km away in the Indian Ocean, defence sources disclosed.

The missile had a launch weight of around 50 tons and included a 1,500-kg dummy warhead that represented its nuclear payload. During the flight of the Agni-V, all parameters were monitored in real time by radars and electro-optical systems. Ships were located in mid-range and near the target, visually witnessing the fireball at the impact point.

Agni-V can carry several warheads as it has multiple independently targeted re-entry (MIRV) capability. This is a modern feature of a long-range missile that enables it to hit several targets in an area.

Scientists said that for complete efficacy of the missile, some more tests would have to be carried out before it is handed over to the armed forces in 2014.

The entire nation joined the defence scientists - who had waited for the moment with bated breath after painstakingly laying the groundwork over three years - in cheering the path-breaking feat. And India proudly declared that it had taken a giant stride in securitypreparedness by developing a strategic deterrent against potential threats.

There was jubilation at the test site. Scientists hoisted Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) chief Dr V.K Saraswat on their shoulders and uproarious scenes were witnessed in the control room after the success of the launch.

'We have done it. Everything went as planned,' Saraswat, who is also the defence adviser to the Prime Minister, exclaimed.

He described Agni-V, or A5, as a 'game changer'.

Agni-V is a three-stage, solid fuel missile that can travel beyond 5,000 km. This means it is an intermediate range missile because inter-continental ballistic missiles (ICBMs) go beyond 5,500 km. By stretching the intermediate range barrier, India has flexed its muscles in the business of long-range ballistic missiles.

Beijing's official reaction was guarded as it called India a cooperation partner and not a rival. A state-run Chinese daily, however, let loose a barrage of criticism and claimed New Delhi was suffering from 'missile delusion'.

The comment piece in the Global Times's op-ed section stated that even as India's missiles could reach most parts of the Chinese mainland, the former stood 'no chance in an overall arms race' with Beijing.

Pakistani websites prominently displayed the news of the test-firing. The country's leading daily, Dawn, ran an agency story citing a defence source as saying that the missile was capable of delivering a 1,000-kg nuclear warhead anywhere in China.

The most significant aspect of the Agni project was the indigenisation of critical systems despite a strict sanctions regime that led to technology denials for years

Contemptuous China mocks 'delusional' India

By DIPANJAN ROY CHAUDHURY

Beijing was caustic and patronising in its response to India test-firing its 5,000km-range nuclear-capable Agni-V on Thursday.

A comment piece in the state-run Global Times's op-ed section - the Chinese response to the Indian assertion about the capacity of Agni-V missile accurately hitting targets more than 5,000km away - was laced with a heavy dose of sarcasm and contempt.

'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,' rebuked the commentary titled 'India being swept up by missile delusion'.

China stressed that it still has a massive edge over India's military prowess.

'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,' it cautioned.

'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,' the article noted.

But the daily signalled a rapprochement. '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,' it said.

The DRDO is being needlessly boastful

By MANOJ JOSHI

Television commentary is doing great disservice by making out as though India has won some battle with China in merely launching the Agni-V.

We have some years to go before that missile can attain full operational capability. Unfortunately, the media has been pushed into the hype by the skillful media machinery of the DRDO. Look closely at the statements in praise of the missile - they are all from DRDO scientists themselves, none from independent experts.

The claim that the missile is a 'game changer and a technological marvel' has been attributed to DRDO chief V.K. Saraswat. He has gone on to claim that this was a 'missile of the 21st century'.

These are all meaningless and needlessly boastful claims. There are at least half-a-dozen missiles in the 20th century that have exceeded the Agni-V in range and capabilities. All you have to do is to look at the capabilities of the American Pershing II and the Russian Topol M, both going back to the 1970s and 1980s, to know what a 'technological marvel' is all about.

The DRDO has distributed slick graphics and briefed writers who are simply regurgitating the alleged facts. Indeed, the launch has been decreed a success, well before the DRDO would have had the time to analyse the telemetry data that the test launch provided.

As of now all we know independently is that the missile did take off. Where it landed is, of course, a secret. As missiles go, the Agni-V is not unique in either its range or capability. What is new about this otherwise old technology is the political statement that it makes: That the evolution of India's slow-motion nuclear deterrent has finally arrived at a way of striking at targets against our other major adversary - China.

This is important enough. But the constant reference to China, including depictions by the TV graphics of the missile striking a city, presumably Chinese, has justifiably nettled Beijing.

'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.' This Chinese comment in Global Times, the Englishlanguage version of the People's Daily is accurate. The Chinese arsenal is much bigger than what we have; the Chinese have a well-tested thermonuclear warhead, and a well-rounded missile force to deliver it.

India's thermonuclear test was a failure. Its missile arsenal is in the development stage. Almost any measure of economic growth would suggest that the Chinese lead over India is unassailable.

Unless China implodes, and no one would like to wish that one, India is not likely to overtake China is the near future.

What the Agni-V gives us is the beginning of a deterrent capability vis-Ã*-vis China. Most of our TV hawks should know the elementary facts of strategy - you do not boast about your capability when you are in the process of establishing it. You do so, if you are mildly intelligent, after you have done so.

This is Agni-V's first test launch. By 2014-15 it may attain initial operational capability and perhaps a couple of years later an actually deployed status. The other issue that needs to be firmly put in its place is that Agni is not a military weapon. The capability it has is not meant for fighting a war, but to deter war. Because that war - the nuclear one - is unwinnable for either side, and will hopefully never be fought.

So it is one thing to parade the missile in Rajpath on Republic Day, and quite another to think of it as an useable weapon in the next skirmish we have with China.

[Ryan Ruck]

In my opinion, not a double standard at all.

India and the US may never be on the same page 100% of the time but the fact is that India is a far more rational actor on the international stage than Iran.

I've never heard about India vowing to make it their national goal to "wipe XYZ nation off the map" for some arbitrary reason. I've also never heard them say that they intend to inflame the world to war to bring about a return of one of their gods. On top of that they are a democratically elected government, not a theocratic dictatorship.

[Ryan Ruck]

Come on micahel. You're picking out a single, minority group (that I'm sure 99% of people have never heard of) and trying to paint that as the national ideology of India.

That's like picking out the Black Panthers and claiming that they are somehow representative of the US as a whole.

[Ryan Ruck]

Michael,
I hadn't noticed before but I'm left wondering what your motivation is to post about Hindutva from a site entitled "Progressive South Asians" (and quite a half-assed site at that).

Seems to me material from a site like that might have a bit of an agenda, no?

Was it also your intention to leave the links to that site so nondescript?

I would think posting from a more balanced source like Wikipedia would be more fruitful.

From the Wiki page on Hindutva - Views on other faiths:

The votaries of Hindutva believe that the way Muslims and Hindus have treated each other in the past is a one-way compromise and they intend on making society more balanced and fair towards the majority Hindu population.[20] The BJP has also invited Muslims to be a part of this new society and work with the Hindus, Buddhists, Jains and Sikhs for a better India.[21] Even more militant parties such as the Shiv Sena have invited Muslims to join and the party leader declared after the Babri Mosque incident,

"We must look after the Muslims and treat them as part of us."[22]

Hindutva groups are supportive of the Jewish State of Israel, including Savarkar himself, who supported Israel during its formation.[23] The RSS is politically pro-Israel and actively praised the efforts of Ariel Sharon when he visited India.[24][25] RSS spokesperson Ram Madhav recently expressed support for Israel.[26]

The highlighted part wouldn't happen to be why you have a problem with Hindutva, would it?

And also, Hindutva ≠ BJP. Do Hindutva most closely identify with BJP, looks like it. I'd say it would be more accurate to say, "All Hindutva are BJP but not all BJP are Hindutva."



I do hope you have a good explanation for using "Progressive South Asians" as a source because as intolerant as I am of tin foil sites being used to bolster arguments, I am am even less so of leftist sites being used in that manner. I'm not going to have leftist ideology, in any manner, undermining this site.

[vector7]

This really pisses me off.... God-damned double standards.

How come there aren't calls for war by our chickenhawks to remove the threat posed to global security by India's nuclear and ballistic missile programs?

Oh, nations that have good relations with us and our other 'allies' today will always have good relations with us and our 'allies' tommorrow, and neither we nor any of our 'allies' will ever go astray and pose a threat to global security, ever.. . How stupid of me not to recognize man's innate goodness and inability to be corrupted by power, to see that India will possess these civilization-destroying weapons with sufficient gravity and respect.

I don't know about that Micheal.

I travel to India and China regularly and have teams on the ground in both regions.

The Indian culture is mostly a very peaceful society.

India is one of the few 3rd world cultures you could get lost in and probably only lose your wallet...if it fell out of your pocket.

They're just not violent people.

I've talked with very influential business owners in both cultures as to why India and China have a strained relationship.

There is some mistrust is in business dealings as they both can be shrewd negotiators. In any event, India does look to China for higher skilled labor regularly.

Indians are also privately terrified of the PLA ever since they invaded their country, ran over them and walked back out with overwhelming force. They have not forgotten it.

Another contentious area is the fact China continues to support and foster Pakistan as Muslims move in their country and set up Mosques. They take multiple Indian wives and are beginning to out breed the Hindus. You could say the Chinese are supporting Radical Islam in Pakistan to keep India in check.

This latest development in my opinion is probably more show than saber rattling for Pakistan than China.

Having said that remember India is a BRIC member. Russia shares much technology with them and just passed up the US and Europe's aerospace offerings for Russia's Sukhoi 5th generation joint venture. Russia also just handed India a nuclear attack submarine.

Russia is the cement in the BRIC relationship and works to keep it strong.

India imports 80 percent of their oil, about 12% comes from Iran, they recently sided with China against US sanctions on Iranian Oil imports.

Also in banking Russia is working to move India and many other players in the region away from the US dollar in their own basket of currencies.

As our economy weakens and our dollar loses value it's diminishing our influence in both regions in business where we once dominated.

This is something I have noticed in the past 4 years.

[Ryan Ruck]

If anything, we should be putting heavy emphasis on bringing India over to our side as a counter to China.

But look who's currently in the White House. He's to busy pissing off long time allies and certainly wouldn't have the time to try and make new ones.

[American Patriot]

This really pisses me off.... God-damned double standards.

How come there aren't calls for war by our chickenhawks to remove the threat posed to global security by India's nuclear and ballistic missile programs?

Oh, nations that have good relations with us and our other 'allies' today will always have good relations with us and our 'allies' tommorrow, and neither we nor any of our 'allies' will ever go astray and pose a threat to global security, ever.. . How stupid of me not to recognize man's innate goodness and inability to be corrupted by power, to see that India will possess these civilization-destroying weapons with sufficient gravity and respect.

Double standard?

Michael... here's a double standard for you.

Why don't you fucking shut your mouth and go get on some Muslim board, or on the Israeli sites and start spouting bullshit and see how long before you get banned?

[American Patriot]

The absolute truth here, Michael and I wish to fuck you would JUST admit it and be done with it, is that you HATE nukes, you HATE anyone who has them. You HATE Israel. You HATE this site, and those of us on it who actually have CONSERVATIVE ideas.

You are CONSISTENTLY coming up with, and using leftist bullshit propaganda and to a great extent certain religious implications as "the only way to go" and that my friend in general INCLUDES (to the exclusion of all else) the Socialist ways of Christianity... which ABOUND.

[vector7]

Pakistan tests nuclear-capable ballistic missile (VIDEO)

Get short URL
email story to a friend print version
Published: 25 April, 2012, 09:35
Edited: 25 April, 2012, 18:40




This military handout picture dated, 25 January 2008, shows the Pakistani medium-range ballistic missile, Shaheen-1 (Hatf IV), missile being fired during a test at an undisclosed location. Pakistan's army said it successfully fired a medium-range ballistic missile capable of carrying nuclear warheads during a military exercise. (AFP / HO / ISPR)

(2.0Mb) embed video
TAGS: Arms, Military, Asia, SciTech, India

Pakistan successfully tested a nuclear-capable ballistic missile on Wednesday. The launch comes less than a week after Islamabad’s main adversary India tested a long-range ballistic missile of its own.

*Pakistan’s missile Shaheen-1A was reportedly shot southward to the Indian Ocean and managed to cover some 4,000-4,500 kilometers. This is enough to target any object on Indian territory.

Pakistan notified its neighbors of plans to perform a launch a day before the event, saying the test would take place between April 24 and 29.

Authorities of Oman, Yemen and India were warned to change routes of civil air flights in the direction of Africa during these dates but the actual test was performed just a day after the warning.

Indian aviation authorities expressed regret that the warning on the test launch came at the “last minute” but nevertheless all transport companies have been notified immediately.

On April 19 this year India test-launched its first long-range Agni-V intercontinental ballistic missile. With a 5,000km range it can target anywhere in China and even parts of Europe, not to mention neighboring Pakistan.

Irreconcilable neighbors India and Pakistan have conducted three full-scale wars since their split from British India in 1947 (conflicts in 1947-1948, 1965, 1971). An arms test of one country usually is followed by a similar test by the other. For example after India successfully tested its first thermonuclear warhead on 11 May 1998, Pakistan replied with a series of nuclear bomb explosions on May 28, 1998.



This military handout picture dated on April 21, 2008, shows Pakistani army officers and scientists standing alongside the long-range ballistic missile, Shaheen II, or Hatf VI, before the test flight at an undisclosed location.

(AFP Photo / HO / ISPR)