India on Sunday successfully test-fired ballistic missile K-5, with a strike range of around 1,500 km, from an underwater platform in the Bay of Bengal.
This successful test gives India nuclear triad capability (ability to fire nuclear-tipped missiles from land, air and sea). “The medium-range K-5 ballistic missile was test-fired successfully today from an underwater pontoon and all parameters of the test-firing were met,” DRDO chief V.K. Saraswat told PTI from the undisclosed test area. Only a few nations, including the US, France, Russia and China, have this type of missile capability.
The DRDO chief said the development phase of the K-5 missile, which is a submarine-launched ballistic missile (SLBM), was over and it was now ready for deployment on various platforms, including the indigenous under-development nuclear submarine INS Arihant.
A security expert, Commander Sunil Chauhan (Retd) said the development has helped India achieve a significant milestone for its strategic forces.
This success will give countervailing capability, he said.