India tested its "Agni" ballistic missile which Pakistan condemned as a threat to regional security.
NEW DELHI, Jan. 30 (IslamOnline & News Agencies) – After a string of failures, India's defense ministry said Wednesday it had carried out successful tests of the naval variant of its homegrown surface to air missile "Trishul" in southern India.
“The missile was tested in sea-skimming mode against low flying targets," the defense ministry statement said, AFP reported. During the exercise that lasted six days, two missiles were fired successfully and they met "all the desired parameters for this particular series," a defense ministry spokesman said.
The "Trishul" (Trident) is a short range, quick reaction, and all weather missiles designed to counter a low-level attack. It has a range of nine kilometers (5.6 miles) and is fitted with a 5.5 kilogram (12 pound) fragmented warhead.
The missile has high maneuverability and is powered by a two-stage solid propellant system. Trishul is one of the five missiles developed by India's Defense Research and Development Organization under the Integrated Guided Missile Development Program launched in 1983.
According to the official Indian news agency, PTI, the Trishul had failed in all its five previous tests and this delay had led to the country procuring highly sophisticated Israeli Barak anti-missile system, which is now in the process of being installed in Indian naval warships.
PTI quoted top official officials of the state arms development agency, DRDO, as saying that the Trishul in its anti-missile role would undergo further extensive tests before being handed over to the Navy for user trials. Trishul missile was scheduled to be fitted on INS Brahmaputra two years ago but due to its recurring failures, it had to be replaced by Barak system.
Trishul is one of the five missiles developed by India's Defense Research and Development Organization under the Integrated Guided Missile Development Program launched in 1983.
Only last week, India tested a short-range variant -- developed with Pakistan in mind -- of its intermediate range "Agni" ballistic missile. Pakistan condemned the test as a threat to regional security.
In an escalation of tension, India and Pakistan have massed about 800,000 troops on their borders following an attack on India's parliament December 2001.
