India tests night trials of ballistic missile Agni-V

NEW DLHI – India has successfully conducted night trials of the nuclear-capable ballistic missile, Agni-V, with a range of 5,400 km days after its troops engaged in an altercation with Chinese soldiers along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in Arunachal Pradesh last week.

Indian media reports said the test was aimed at validating new technologies and equipment on the missile. The test has proved that the missile’s range has increased than before.

The Agni-V was fired from Abdul Kalam Island, off the coast of Odisha. This is the ninth flight of the Agni V - a missile first tested in 2012 - and was a routine test, NDTV quoted Defence Ministry sources as saying.

It said the missile test had been planned well before the incident along the border.

Nearly two years after a deadly clash in the Galwan valley, Indian and Chinese soldiers again had a faceoff in a border clash near India's Arunachal Pradesh state on December 9.

In a statement, the Indian army said both sides soon disengaged from the country’s remotest state and mentioned that the officials held a meeting with their Chinese counterpart to discuss the issue.

With little information from the Indian army, Chinese armed forces and foreign officials have not commented on the matter while reports in Indian media claimed that a score of soldiers suffered injuries in the recent clash.