India test-fires underwater N-missile
28 January, 2013
NEW DELHI: India's elusive nuclear weapon triad -- the capability to fire nukes from land, air and sea -- has taken another leap closer to becoming an operational reality. Even as the indigenous nuclear submarine INS Arihant gets ready for sea trials, the country's first underwater ballistic missile "successfully" completed its developmental trials on Sunday. With this 12th test of the K-15 missile, conducted from a submerged platform or pontoon in the Bay of Bengal, DRDO officials said the 750km-range submarine-launched ballistic missile (SLBM) was now ready for induction. "The two-stage missile, which rapidly climbed to a 20km altitude after being launched from the pontoon, was tested for its full range over 700km. This was its last developmental test, in which all mission objectives were met," said an official. End.
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