KEY POINTS
- India test-fired its Agni-5 long-range ballistic missile capable of carrying multiple nuclear warheads.
- Agni-5 ballistic missile has a range exceeding 5,000 kilometres.
- The launch came days before US tariffs on Indian goods are set to double from 25% to 50%.
- Washington had earlier imposed extra duties over New Delhi’s purchases of Russian oil.
- India has postponed defence deals with the US and cancelled Defence Minister’s visit to Washington.
NEW DELHI: India on Wednesday test-fired a long-range ballistic missile capable of carrying multiple nuclear warheads, a government statement said, in an apparent show of strength ahead of a US tariff increase on Indian goods.
The Agni-5 missile was successfully launched in India’s eastern Odisha state, with authorities saying it “validated all operational and technical parameters.”
The test-fire came a week before US tariffs are set to double from 25 percent to 50 percent. India last tested the Agni-5 missile in March 2024.
Last week, Reuters news agency, citing three Indian officials familiar with the matter, reported that New Delhi had postponed plans to procure new US weapons and aircraft after bilateral ties fell to their lowest level in decades.
India had been planning to send Defence Minister Rajnath Singh to Washington in the coming weeks for an announcement on some of the purchases, but that trip has been cancelled, two of the people said, as cited by Reuters.
Trump, on August 6, imposed an additional 25 percent tariff on Indian goods as punishment for Delhi’s purchases of Russian oil. That raised the total duty on Indian exports to 50 percent – among the highest of any US trading partner.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said this month that, in the face of US tariffs, New Delhi was seeking self-reliance with energy independence and the development of its own defence systems.
India has deepened defence cooperation with Western countries in recent years, including in the Quad alliance with the United States, Japan, and Australia, as an apparent counter to China.
But India’s relations with China have warmed recently with several bilateral visits, and Modi is scheduled to visit Tianjin later this month in his first visit to the country since 2018.
Agni, meaning “fire” in Sanskrit, is the name given to a series of rockets India developed as part of a guided missile development project launched in 1983.
The Agni-5 employs technology that enables it to carry several nuclear warheads, so they can split up and hit different targets.
Commenting on the development, Islamabad-based defence analyst Syed Muhammad Ali told WE News English that the timing of the missile test was significant, as Indian External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar arrived in Moscow on Wednesday on an official visit to discuss further deepening energy and economic cooperation with Russia — a move likely to further irritate Washington.
Ali added that China will stage its V-Day military parade on September 3, which Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi is also expected to attend, making the timing of the launch even more noteworthy.
“Taken together, the missile test suggests that India now also views the United States as a potential future threat,” Ali said.
“It is a signal from New Delhi that if Washington harms India’s economic interests, India will not only strengthen collaboration with China and Russia but also demonstrate its military capabilities to the US,” Ali said.
According to the Times of India, the Agni-5 Intercontinental Ballistic Missile (ICBM) has a range exceeding 5,000 kilometres, potentially reaching northern China and several parts of Europe. The missile is capable of hitting targets well beyond this range, the Times of India reported.
The latest test comes around three and a half months after the military conflict between India and Pakistan.
In March this year, India also carried out a test of the Agni-5 missile, while last month it test-fired the nuclear-capable short-range ballistic missiles Prithvi-2 and Agni-1.
India has already deployed the Agni series missiles, ranging from Agni-1 to Agni-4, which have ranges between 700 km and 3,500 km. The Prithvi-2 missile, with a range of about 350 km, can carry both conventional and nuclear warheads.
On March 11, 2024, India conducted its first MIRVed test launch of the Agni-5 from Kalpakkam in Tamil Nadu. According to NDTV, the missile can fire up to three nuclear warheads simultaneously.
While the rupture in US-India ties was abrupt, there have been strains in the relationship. New Delhi has repeatedly rebutted Trump’s claim that the US brokered a ceasefire between India and Pakistan after four days of fighting between the nuclear-armed neighbours in May.
Trump also hosted Pakistan’s Chief of Army Staff Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir at the White House in the weeks following the conflict.
