India test fires nuclear-capable missile

India today test-launched a surface-to-surface missile capable of carrying nuclear weapons, a defence ministry spokesman said.

The Agni II missile lifted off from India’s missile testing range on the coast of eastern Orissa state, said Defence Ministry spokesman Amitabh Chakravorty.

It was the third trial of the Agni II missile, which has a range of up to 1,560 miles. The missile can carry conventional and nuclear warheads weighing up to 1,000 kilograms (2,240 lbs), according to defence ministry figures.

Defence Minister Pranab Mukherjee and more than 100 scientists were on hand to witness the test launch, a defence ministry official said.