India Tests Long-Range Rocket
The nuclear-capable missile comes with a 3,000-mile range.
| Posted Thursday, April 19, 2012, at 10:29 AM
Photo by Raveendran/AFP/Getty Images
India said Thursday that it had carried out a successful first test of a long-range nuclear-capable missile. The rocket can travel about 3,100 miles, which would make it capable of reaching China and Europe.
CNN reports that India says the missile program is a defensive rather than aggressive strategy, and will serve as a deterrent. India borders Pakistan and China, both of whom are armed with nukes and have a history of hostility with the country.
As the Associated Press notes, the successful launch (and the international response to it) stands in contrast to North Korea's failed launch of a rocket last week. While North Korea was widely condemned for their test of a long-range rocket, which fell apart over the ocean, India has benefited from a "muted" response. India was under sanctions for a quarter of a century after their first nuclear test in 1974, but since then has become more or less accepted by the west as a nuclear power.
You can check out video of India's successful test over at the Guardian.
