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| India-Pakistan |
| India to Test Nuclear-Capable Missile |
| 2003-04-06 |
| India said Sunday it will test-fire a long-range missile that experts say could deliver a nuclear weapon as far as Moscow or Shanghai. I don't think Moscow is on the target list, but I wonder if the Chinese have a queasy feeling in their stomachs. The United States and other western countries had urged India to abandon development of the Agni III missile, saying they are worried about an escalating nuclear arms race between India and its archrival, Pakistan. ``The test firing of Agni III is overdue and we feel the need for that long-range missile as part of our policy of deterrence,'' Defense Minister George Fernandes was quoted as saying by the Press Trust of India news agency. ``The date has not been firmed up. (The) effort is to see that it is test fired this year,'' he was quoted as saying. India says it needs the missiles to defend itself against its neighboring rivals, Pakistan in the west and China in the north - both of which have waged war with India in the past. Fernandes also said that India had put on hold the development of the ``Trishul,'' a surface-to-air missile that would target aircraft and counter sea-skimming missiles. Wonder why? Sounds like something the Indians would want. The current versions of the Agni - I and II - are being produced and are ready for deployment by India's armed forces, Fernandes said. Both are capable of carrying nuclear warheads. The Agni I has a range of 435 miles, and the Agni II has a range of up to 1,400 miles, capable of hitting targets anywhere in Pakistan and deep into China. Development of the Agni III reportedly began as early as 1999, according to the Federation of American Scientists, an arms control watchdog group. The group said the missile likely has a range of 2,100 miles. India's missile arsenal also includes the short-range ballistic missile Prithvi with a range of 95 miles; the surface-to-air Akash and the anti-tank Nag missile. India has also recently tested the supersonic Brahmos missile, also capable of hitting Pakistani cities and developed in a joint program with Russia. Sounds like they have everything covered. ``Apart from Agni and Prithvi, (the) supersonic cruise missile Brahmos is something exclusive. Nobody else has this missile today,'' Fernandes said. ``We are ready now (for deployment). All tests are complete.'' The Brahmos has a range of 185 miles and has a payload of 440 pounds but cannot carry a nuclear warhead. It flies at more than 1,400 mph, twice the speed of sound, and has three versions - ground-to-air, air-to-ground and a navy version. The US doesn't have a Brahmos, but we do have this thing called a Tomahawk. It's not supersonic, but it doesn't need to be. Ya might want to remember that. India conducted its first nuclear test in 1974. Its nuclear tests in 1998 caused international outrage and provoked economic sanctions by the United States and other Western nations. Pakistan followed suit with nuclear tests of its own. Western nations gradually lifted sanctions against both India and Pakistan as the two countries became allies in the international campaign against the al-Qaida terror network and the Taliban militia in Afghanistan. But neither India nor Pakistan ever stopped their weapons development. It's missile tests like these that should remind us that south Asia isn't going to be a stable place. |
| Posted by:Steve White |
| #3 If India stopped developing and weapons would not mean that pakistan would too. Pakistan is being armed by N.Korea and China (and US) and this would continue happen regardless of what India did. During the India-Pak border war at Kargil 1998, China provided Pakland with a large number of weapons and spare parts. China likes to fight a proxy war with India through Pakland. To make things worse, defense equipment that has been sold to China usually gets reverse engineered and sold on to Pakland [China supplying Israeli UAVs to Pak: Israeli expert] We all know that sooner or later Pakland is going to tip over and the Jihadis will get control, including its nuclear arsenal. It may happen in decades rather than days or years, but India has to be prepared for that moment. |
| Posted by: rg117 2003-04-06 17:05:30 |
| #2 The US doesn't have a Brahmos, but we do have this thing called a Tomahawk. It's not supersonic, but it doesn't need to be. Ya might want to remember that. TRUE. But Tomahawk is a Land Attack Missile, Brahmos is mainly an anti-ship missile. Being supersonic gives a much higher kill rate because ship counter-measures have less time to react to it. |
| Posted by: rg117 2003-04-06 06:23:01 |
| #1 Here is a pretty good site about India's missile program, which seems to be the only indigenous military development program of India's that has progressed very well, in contrast to it's plans to develop a battle tank, attack helicopter and nuclear submarine that all have experinced problems and delays over many years. |
| Posted by: Paul Moloney 2003-04-06 04:23:18 |