News / Foreign Policy

Washington 'worried' over India missile test

Saturday, 26 March 2016 5:24 PM [ Last Update: Saturday, 26 March 2016 5:22 PM ]

An Indian K-4 ballistic missile is fired from a submerged platform in the Bay of Bengal. (file photo)

The United States has expressed concern over India’s recent test-launch of a ballistic missile capable of carrying nuclear warheads.

India successfully fired a nuclear-capable K-4 ballistic missile from a submerged platform in the Bay of Bengal earlier in March.

"We are concerned by any nuclear and missile developments that could potentially increase the risk to nuclear security risk or lower the threshold for nuclear use," US State Department spokesman Mark Toner was quoted as saying by NDTV on Friday.

"So we continue to urge all states with nuclear weapons to exercise restraint regarding their missile and nuclear capabilities," he added.

The 10-meter missile with a weight of 20 tons has a reported range of up to 3,500 kilometers (2,174 miles) and can carry a payload of more than 2,000 kilogram (4,400 pounds).

According to Toner, Washington has raised its concerns with India over New Delhi’s missile program and the effect it may have on the security of the region.

"I do not want to get into specifics of our bilateral conversations with India, but we have long encouraged efforts to promote confidence building, stability, and discourage any actions that might destabilize the region," he had said earlier.

India conducted another test in mid-December, firing an Agni-I missile from a mobile launcher on the Abdul Kalam Island, located approximately 150 kilometers from Bhubaneshwar, the capital of the eastern state of Odisha.

The 15-meter-long Agni-I is capable of carrying warheads weighing more than 1,000 kilograms.

In January last year, India tested an Agni-V missile, its longest-range nuclear-capable ballistic missile with the capacity to strike China and Europe.

The 17-meter-long intercontinental ballistic missile has a range of more than 5,000 kilometers (3,100 miles).

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