India conducts successful test of K-15 submarine launched ballistic missile

New Delhi: India on Tuesday successfully tested an undersea, nuclear capable, ballistic missile on the eastern coast, off the port city of Vishakhapatnam, the headquarters of the Indian Navy's eastern command. The test catapults India into an elite club of nations - US, Russia, France, China – who posses the required expertise in this area.

The K-15 missile, with a range of 700km, was test fired at 1258 hours from a pontoon immersed in the sea and eyewitness reports say that they saw the missile rising from the waters into the sky.

"The test firing was successful," defence ministry spokesman Sitanshu Kar said. DRDO's initial response was that it was awaiting final evaluations from warships deployed in the sea.

According to reports, this was the first full-fledged test of the missile after three-four dry runs.

For the lack of a suitable submarine platform, the test was conducted from a submerged pontoon.

The test was conducted off the coast of Vishakhapatnam, where India's advanced technology vessel (ATV) project is under way. The ATV is the project name for India's nuclear submarine, which is due to enter sea trials sometime next year.

According to Dr Prahlada, chief controller, Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), it would need just one test to ratify the missile, which would be the strike weapon onboard the ATV.