Agni-V is a solid fuelled intercontinental ballistic missile under development by DRDO of India. It will greatly expand India's reach to strike targets well beyond 5,500 km away. On 19 April 2012 at 8.07 am, the Agni V was successfully test-fired by DRDO from Wheeler Island off the coast of Orissa.
The test launch was made from the Launch Complex 4 of the Integrated Test Range (ITR) at Wheeler Island using a rail mobile launcher. The flight time lasted 20 minutes and the third stage fired the re-entry vehicle into the atmosphere at an altitude of 100 km. The missile re-entry vehicle subsequently impacted the pre-designated target point more than 5,000 km away in the Indian Ocean.[23] The director of the test range, S.P. Das informed BBC that all test parameters were met.
Following the launch, the Prime Minister Manmohan Singh congratulated the DRDO by issuing a statement: "I congratulate all the scientific and technical personnel of the DRDO and other organisations who have worked tirelessly in our endeavour to strengthen the defence and security of our country. Today's successful Agni-V test launch represents another milestone in our quest to add to the credibility of our security and preparedness and to continuously explore the frontiers of science. The nation stands together in honouring the scientific community who have done the country proud." The Defence Minister A.K. Antony also congratulated the DRDO chief Dr. V.K. Saraswat and DRDO team including its project director Dr. Avinash Chander and said that " the immaculate success of the Agni-5 is a major milestone in the country's missile research and development programme."
NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen noted in the context of the launch that NATO does not consider India as a missile threat to NATO allies or territory.
China reacted very negatively to the launch success. In the state-run Chinese newspaper Global Times, China denounced India's advancement in missile technology, calling it a "missile delusion" and commenting that India was "still poor and lags behind in infrastructure construction, but its society is highly supportive of developing nuclear power and the West chooses to overlook India’s disregard of nuclear and missile control treaties." China claimed that India viewed China as a benchmark for military development, and further stated: "China understands the Indian desire to catch up with China. China, as the most appropriate strategic target for India, is willing to take India as a peaceful competitor." China made several threats and warnings in the report as well, "advising" India not to "over-estimate its strength", and insisting that China's nuclear power was "stronger and more reliable". China subsequently claimed that, "For the foreseeable future, India would stand no chance in an overall arms race with China. If it [India] equates long range strategic missiles with deterrence of China, and stirs up further hostility, it could be sorely mistaken."
NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen stated that they did not think India was a missile threat, nor a threat to NATO and its allies, despite India's advancement in missile technology. The United States of America commended India and refuted China's claims, saying that India boasted of an excellent non-proliferation record and that it had engaged with the international community on such issues. Pakistani websites and news agencies were reportedly "flooded" with the news of the successful launch; however, no official statement has been released yet
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