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India has tested a nuclear-capable ballistic missile with a range of around 3,500 km from a nuclear-powered submarine in the Bay of Bengal, in a major boost to its nuclear deterrence and strategic capabilities, people familiar with the matter said on Thursday. With the test, India became part of a small group of nations having the capability to fire a nuclear missile from land, air and undersea. The K4 missile was tested from submarine INS Arighaat off the coast of Visakhapatnam on Wednesday, they said. It was the first test of the submarine-launched ballistic missile (SLBM) from a submarine, the people said. The solid-fuelled missile was tested at least five times in the last few years from submersible platforms. The people cited above said the missile was tested for almost its complete range. The second Arihant-class submarine INS Arighaat was commissioned into the Indian Navy on August 29 with an aim to strengthen India's nuclear deterrence. It has the distinction of having th
North Korea boasted Friday that the new intercontinental ballistic missile it just test-launched is the world's strongest, a claim seen as pure propaganda after experts assessed it as being too big to be useful in a war situation. The ICBM launched Thursday flew higher and for a longer duration than any other weapon North Korea has tested. But foreign experts say the test failed to show North Korea has mastered some of the last remaining technological hurdles to possess functioning ICBMs that can strike the mainland US. The North's Korean Central News Agency identified the missile as a Hwasong-19 and called it the world's strongest strategic missile and the perfected weapon system. The official media outlet said leader Kim Jong Un observed the launch, describing it as an expression of North Korea's resolve to respond to external threats to North Korea's security. The colour and shape of the exhaust flames seen in North Korean media photos of the launch suggest the missile uses ...
The Chinese military on Wednesday test-fired an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) with a dummy warhead in the Pacific Ocean, the Defence Ministry announced. The launch tested weaponry performance and military training effectiveness and achieved desired goals, the ministry said in a statement. The missile fell into expected sea areas, the statement said, adding this was a routine arrangement in the annual training plan and relevant countries had been notified in advance. This test launch is a routine arrangement in our annual training plan. It is in line with international law and practice and is not directed against any country or target," the statement said. It is the first time in 44 years that China is known to have successfully conducted an atmospheric test of an ICBM over the high seas. In May 1980, a DF-5 -- China's first ICBM -- flew more than 9,000 kilometres (5,590 miles), the Hong Kong-based South China Morning Post reported. The new missile could reach the US .
The head of Russia's Roscosmos space agency said Friday that the country has deployed an advanced intercontinental ballistic missile that President Vladimir Putin once said will make Russia's enemies think twice. Agency head Yuri Borisov said Sarmat missiles have been placed on combat duty, according to Russian news agencies. Further details were not reported. The Sarmat is one of several advanced weapons whose development Putin announced in 2018. The silo-based missile, capable of carrying multiple nuclear warheads, is intended to replace the R-36 ICBMs that are known by the NATO reporting name of Satan. The Sarmat reportedly has a short initial launch phase, allowing little time for surveillance systems to track it. In 2022, about two months after sending troops into Ukraine, Putin said the Sarmat would reliably ensure the security of Russia from external threats and make those who, in the heat of aggressive rhetoric, try to threaten our country, think twice.
North Korea test-launched an intercontinental ballistic missile in a display of military might Thursday just hours before the leaders of South Korea and Japan were to meet at a Tokyo summit expected to be overshadowed by North Korean nuclear threats. The launch, the North's first ICBM test in a month and third weapons testing this week, also comes as South Korean and U.S. troops continue joint military exercises that Pyongyang considers a rehearsal to invade. South Korea's military said the North Korean ICBM flew toward the Korean Peninsula's eastern waters after being launched from North Korea's capital, Pyongyang, around 7.10 a.m. The statement said South Korea's military is maintaining readiness in close coordination with the United States. The Sunan neighbourhood is the site of Pyongyang's international airport and has emerged as a major testing site where the North launched most of its ICBMs in recent years, all flown on a high angle to avoid the territory of neighbours. Japan