India on Sunday test-fired a medium-range nuclear-capable ballistic missile capable of hitting most targets in neighboring Pakistan, a defense official said. The Agni-1 missile, which has a range of more than 700 km (430 miles), was fired at 10:15 A.M. (0445 GMT) from an island off the coast of the eastern state of Orissa, the official said. “The user trial of the missile passed the requisite expectations,” said the official, speaking on condition of anonymity. The Agni – Sanskrit for “fire” - is a 12-meter (39-foot) medium-range ballistic missile that can be fired from mobile launchers and can carry a one-ton warhead. In April, India staged a successful test of Agni-III, its longest range ballistic missile capable of transporting a nuclear warhead more than 3,000 km, putting targets deep inside China within its reach. India, which held nuclear weapons tests in 1998, has developed a series of nuclear and conventional missile systems as part of a missile development program launched in 1983. Nuclear-armed rivals India and Pakistan routinely carry out missile tests, although they normally notify each other in advance. __
