India Eyes ICBMs After Testing China-Specific Missile

Buoyed by the successful test of a missile that can hit China, India says it can extend its nuclear range beyond Asia, but experts say it is unlikely to take such a step for fear of upsetting the West.

The launch on Thursday of the intermediate-range Agni-III missile capped New Delhi's drive to produce a device capable of striking targets 3,500 kilometres (2,170 miles) inside China, which has an unresolved border dispute with India.

The government's Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) now says it now has the technology to build Inter-Continental Ballistic Missiles (ICBM) that would extend nuclear-armed India's reach beyond Asia.