The Indian Army’s strategic force command on Monday successfully test-fired its nuclear-capable long-range strategic ballistic missile Agni-IV from the Dr APJ Abdul Kalam (Wheeler) Island off the coast of Odisha. The missile has a strike range of 4,000 km and is designed to carry a payload of one tonne. It covered more than 3,500 km before splashing down into the Bay of Bengal. The surface-to-surface missile is equipped with modern and compact avionics to provide high reliability, according to officials of the Defence Research and Development Organisation.

A defence ministry spokesperson said the launch met all mission objectives, reported the Press Trust of India. This was the fifth trial of the Agni-IV missile. The last test in December last year was also successful. The other nuclear missiles in India’s arsenal are the Agni-I (range 700–1,250 km), Agni-II (range 2,000 km), Agni-III (range 3,500–5,000 km) and Prithvi (range 850 km).