India test fires nuclear-capable missile

By JERUSALEM POST STAFF
india test-fired a nuclear-capable missile on Tuesday with a range of up to 3,000 kilometers, a defense ministry official said. The surface-to-surface "Agni-II" (Fire) missile was fired from Wheelers Island in the eastern state of Orissa as a trial by the army, the official said on condition of anonymity in line with ministry rules. The area is 160 kilometers north of Bhubaneshwar, the capital of Orissa state. The missile can carry both conventional and nuclear warheads weighing up to 1,000 kilograms, the official said. India's current crop of missiles are mostly intended for confronting neighboring archrival Pakistan, but the Agni-II can put areas in southern China within a striking range, said Rahul Bedi, a defense analyst with Jane's Defense Weekly, a weekly magazine reporting on military affairs.