India conducts secret test of submarine-launched K-4 nuclear-capable missile: Report

File / representational image

Balasore: India has reportedly conducted a secret test of the nuclear-capable undersea ballistic missile, code named K-4.

As per a report published in The New Indian Express last week, the submarine-launched ballistic missile (SLBM) was test-fired from INS Arihant at an undisclosed location in the Bay of Bengal.

The report quoted a source as saying that the missile was test-fired on March 31 some 45 nautical miles from the Vishakhapatnam coast in Andhra Pradesh.

The missile test was dubbed as 'highly successful'.

The K-4 missile, developed indigenously, was test-fired with a dummy payload in full operational configuration.

The report said the missile was launched from a 20-meter depth and successfully broke through the water surface.

Among the notable features of the K-4 SLBM, its range is 3,500 km. The missile measures 12 metre in length and 1.3 metre in width. It weighs 17 tonnes and can carry a nuclear payload of 2,000 kilograms. Its engine is solid fuelled.

It may be remembered that a prototype of K-15 (B-05) missile was test-fired from INS Arihant last November.