India test-fires Agni-IV ballistic missile

NEW DELHI, Jan. 4 (UPI) -- Defense researchers in India completed a successful flight test with the Agni-IV surface ballistic missile, government officials in the country reported.

The Indian Ministry of Defense announced what they hailed as a successful demonstration with the Agni-IV on Jan. 2. The missile was launched from Dr. Abdul Kalam Island in Odisha at 12 p.m. local time.

The launch marked the sixth trial for the surface-to-surface weapon. The last demonstration with the missile was conducted by the Indian Army on Nov. 9, 2015. The 65-foot-long nuclear-capable weapon has a strike range of 2,485 miles, and weighs 17 tons.

"The sophisticated surface-to-surface missile is equipped with modern and compact avionics to provide high level of reliability," DRDO officials told The Hindustan Times.

The test comes just a week after India's Defense Research and Development Organization test-fired the Agni-V ballistic missile, which garnered a skeptical reaction from the Chinese government.

The Indian Express reports authorities clarified their tests were purely strategic, and not targeted against any particular country.