India‘s recent test of its Agni-V missile has sparked debate about the country’s nuclear ambitions and its relationship with neighboring countries. The missile, which has a range of over 5,000km, was test-fired on August 20, 2025, from a test range in Odisha on India’s eastern Bay of Bengal coast.
Experts say the test was likely a signal to China, rather than Pakistan, despite the recent tensions between India and Pakistan.
The Agni-V missile is capable of carrying nuclear or conventional payloads and has a range that puts most of Asia, including China’s northern regions, and parts of Europe within reach.
This has raised concerns about the potential implications for regional security. “India’s requirement for a long-range, but not intercontinental, missile is dictated by its threat perception of China,” Manpreet Sethi, a distinguished fellow at the New Delhi-based Centre for Air Power Studies, said.
“Agni-V is a nuclear-capable ballistic missile of 5,000km range, which India has been developing as part of its nuclear deterrence capability against China. It has no relevance to Pakistan,” Sethi added.
Christopher Clary, assistant professor of political science at the University at Albany, agreed that the Agni-V missile’s primary mission would involve strikes on China.
“While the Agni-V might be usable against Pakistan, its primary mission would involve strikes on China,” he said. “China’s east coast, where its most economically and politically important cities are situated, is hard to reach from India and requires long-range missiles.”
The test comes amid a thaw in ties between India and China, after years of tension over their disputed border.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi is set to visit China for the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit, marking his first visit to the country since 2018.
However, experts say that despite the improving relations, India continues to view China as its primary threat in the region.
India and Pakistan have been steadily expanding their missile arsenals in recent years, unveiling new systems with increasing reach. Pakistan recently announced the formation of a new Army Rocket Force Command (ARFC), aimed at plugging holes in its defensive posture exposed by India during the four-day conflict between the nuclear-armed neighbors in May.
However, experts say that Pakistan’s missile development program is entirely India-specific and defensive in nature, while India’s ambitions extend beyond the subcontinent.
Mansoor Ahmed, an honorary lecturer at the Strategic and Defence Studies Centre, Australian National University, said that India’s latest test demonstrates its growing intercontinental missile capabilities.
“With India working on different variants of Agni with multiple capabilities, this test was a technological demonstrator for India’s emerging submarine-launched ballistic missile (SLBM) capability,” Ahmed said.
The development of long-range missiles by India and Pakistan has raised concerns about the potential implications for regional security.
While India views its missile development as a necessary deterrent against China, Pakistan sees its own program as a necessary response to India’s growing arsenal.
As the missile race in South Asia continues to heat up, experts say that the international community should be paying close attention to the developments in the region.
In conclusion, the recent test of India’s Agni-V missile has sparked debate about the country’s nuclear ambitions and its relationship with neighboring countries.
While the test was likely a signal to China, it has also raised concerns about the potential implications for regional security. As the situation in South Asia continues to evolve, it remains to be seen how the international community will respond to the growing missile arsenals in the region.