India Test-Fires Nucear-Capable Missile

India says it has successfully test-fired a missile capable of carrying nuclear warheads across much of Asia and the Middle East. India's defense ministry says the Agni-three missile was launched Thursday from Wheeler Island, off the eastern Indian state of Orissa. The ministry described the test as a "milestone" in India's development of missile technology.

It is the second time India has test-fired the Agni-three missile. The first test ended in failure last July when the missile crashed into the sea without hitting its target.

The Agni-three is India's longest-range missile with a range of three-thousand kilometers, putting China's major cities into range.

India has been developing home-grown missiles since 1983 as part of its efforts to establish itself as a world power.

印度说它成功试射了一枚可以携带核弹头、可以打击亚洲和中东大部份地区的远程导弹。印度国防部说，这枚烈火三型远程导弹星期四从印度东部奥里萨邦沿海的惠勒岛上发射。印度国防部称这次试射是印度导弹技术研发的一个“里程碑”。

这是印度第二次试射烈火三型远程导弹。去年7月进行的首次试射以失败告终，导弹没有击中目标，坠入海中。

烈火三型是印度射程最远的导弹，射程达3千公里，中国的主要城市都在射程之内。

为了成为世界强国，印度1983年以来一直在自行开发研制导弹。