India Test-fires Surface-to-surface Missile

By ASHOK SHARMA / AP WRITER

NEW DELHI — India successfully test-fired a medium-range, surface-to surface missile on Wednesday, the defense ministry said.

The new Shourya (Valor) missile has a range of 375 miles (600 kilometers), the ministry said in a statement that hailed the technology as "state of the art."

India and longtime rival Pakistan routinely test-fire missiles. They usually notify each other ahead of missile launches in keeping with an agreement between the two nations.

"The high maneuverability of the missile makes it less vulnerable to available anti-missile defense systems," the ministry said.

A ministry official earlier said the weapon tested was a nuclear-capable K-15 missile, an undersea submarine-launched ballistic missile with a range of up to 435 miles (700 kilometers). He spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to media.

The Shourya missile was fired from a test range in Balasore in eastern Orissa state, nearly 800 miles (1,300 kilometers) southeast of New Delhi, the ministry said.

India's current crop of missiles are mostly intended for confronting neighboring archrival Pakistan, but the country's longest-range missile, the Agni 3, is designed to travel 1,900 miles (3,000 kilometers)—putting China's major cities well into range, as well as targets deep in the Middle East.

India and Pakistan have fought three wars since their independence from Britain in 1947. They have been holding peace talks since 1994 aimed at resolving their differences, including their dispute over the Himalayan region of Kashmir.