The country's most deterrent nuclear capable ballistic missile, Agni-5 has been successfully test fired from Chandipur Test Range in Balasore district off Odisha coast.

The missile was launched at 8.45 this morning. Developed by the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), the Agni-5 can carry a single nuclear warhead of over 1000 kg and can strike with precision targets in China and Europe. The complex missile weighs about 50 tons and is 17.5 meters long.

The first test flight of the Agni-5 on April 19 last year was a phenomenal success after which India joined the select club of the United States, Russia, France, Britain and China who have such capabilities.

Agni-5 will give India the ability hit back or have second-strike capability even after a nuclear attack. The missile is India's fastest-travelling object and the first one to cross the Equator when launched from India.

The versatile missile system has the capacity to be launched from a road mobile vehicle or even from a special railway bogey where it can be kept hidden and moved around at will.

Speaking to a TV channel, Scientific advisor to the Defence Minister and the head of the DRDO, Dr. Avinash Chander said, Agni-5 can be a very fast reacting missile which is a major asset for response to a nuclear strike. He said short of exploding a nuclear bomb in the vicinity of the missile, nothing can stop it from working.

After about half a dozen successful tests, this latest missile system will be ready to be inducted into the arsenal of India's strategic forces.