India Tests Nuclear-Capable Missile

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The Dhanus is a naval variant of India's surface-to-surface Prithvi (Earth) missile.Pakistan test-fires nuclear-capable missile
Islamabad (AFP) March 31 - Pakistan on Saturday successfully test-fired its short-range nuclear-capable surface-to-surface ballistic missile, the military announced. The Hatf II Abdali missile has a range of 200 kilometers (125 miles) and "can carry all types of warheads," the military said in a statement. The test, aimed at "validation of the desired technical parameters," was a success, it added. Last week, Pakistan tested a longer range version of its nuclear-capable, radar-dodging cruise missile, the Hatf VII Babur. It has a range of 700 kilometres. Pakistan and India have routinely conducted missile tests since the nuclear-armed South Asian rivals carried out tit-for-tat nuclear detonations in May 1998. However in 2004 they launched a slow-moving peace process aimed at ending six decades of hostility and resolving their dispute over the Himalayan territory of Kashmir, the cause of two of their three wars. In February, Pakistan signed a historic deal with India to cut the risk of atomic weapons accidents.

by Staff Writers
Bhubaneswar (AFP) India, March 30, 2007
India successfully tested on Friday a nuclear-capable ballistic missile from a naval ship near its east coast, the defence ministry said.

The domestically developed Dhanus (Bow) missile, with a strike-range of 250 kilometres (155 miles), was fired from the Indian Naval Ship Subhadra in the Bay of Bengal off the coast of Orissa, a defence spokesman said.

The Dhanus is a naval variant of India's surface-to-surface Prithvi (Earth) missile.

The missile, 8.56 meters (28 feet) long and one metre (3.2 feet) wide, can carry a 500 kilogram (1,100 pound) conventional or nuclear warhead. It uses liquid propellants and has a launch weight of 4,600 kilograms (10,000 pounds).

On Thursday, India successfully tested an air-to-air missile for the third time in four days, defence officials said.

India's nuclear rival, Pakistan, tested its own nuclear-capable radar-dodging cruise missile Hatf VII Babur with a range of 700 kilometres (435 miles) on March 22. Dhanus is part of India's Integrated Guided Missile Development Programme (IGMDP) begun in 1983 to develop and produce a wide range of missiles for surface-to-surface and surface-to-air roles.

The Prithvi was the first missile developed as part of programme.

The Dhanus test came a week after neighbouring Pakistan test-fired a nuclear-capable radar-dodging cruise missile with a range of 700 kilometres.

The neighbours have routinely conducted missile tests since carrying out tit-for-tat nuclear blasts in May 1998.

Tensions between the rivals have eased since 2004 when they launched a peace process aimed at ending six decades of hostility and resolving their dispute over the Himalayan territory of Kashmir, the cause of two of their three wars.

Source: Agence France-Presse

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