NEW DELHI: ignoring opposition from the United States India Successfully test fired a ballistic missile on June 4 that can hit targets in neighboring Pakistan and China.
The 26-foot Prithvi missile which has A range of 155 miles streaked into the sky above the Bay of Bengal from a firing range on Indias eastern coast. It was launched from Chandipur 775 miles southeast of New Delhi.
The missile which can carry a one-ton payload will be deployed in a few months on India’s tense western border with Pakistan. Disarmament experts say India could arm the missiles with nuclear warheads although India denies it has an active nuclear weapons program.
The final tests on the Prithvi were put off last month because Prime Minister PV. Narasimha Rao did Not Want to anger Washington just before a meeting with President Clinton.
But Rao denied on May 12 two days before he left for the United States that India was under pressure to scrap an ambitious $285 million program to build short range and intermediate range missiles. The Prithvi and the longer-range Agni missile are showpieces of the project handled entirely by Indian military scientists.
Rao has been under pressure at home from both the left-wing and nationalist Opposition parties to continue the missile program and not to buckle under Western pressure
Last week Frank Wisner U.S. ambassador-designate to India was quoted as saying that he hoped India would reconsider deploying the missile.
India says it needs the missiles for air defense and (6 counter the threat posed by Chinese-made M missiles deployed by Pakistan
India has successfully test fired a total of four different surface-to surface and surface-to-air missiles including the Agni and the one launched on Saturday. The other two are a short-range surface-to air and an antitank missile.
Article extracted from this publication >> June 10, 1994
