India’s Agni-5 missile test : The Chinese ship spies

The Chinese ships spy on the beaches of Andhra Pradesh, Kerala and Tamil Nadu !

Beijing / New Delhi – As India recently conducted its flight test of the Agni-5 inter-continental ballistic missile (ICBM) from Dr APJ Abdul Kalam Island off the Odisha coast, it had some invasive visitors who were keenly watching the proceedings from afar. China had sent its second research vessel, ‘Xiang Yang Hong 01’, to the Indian shores to likely observe the test. Interestingly, its presence coincided with India’s announcement of NOTAM (Notice to Air Missions) or a flight restriction zone over the Bay of Bengal. India had broadcast a warning to nearby countries a few days ago for the test. It is called ‘NOTAM’ which means ‘Notice to Air Missions’.

According to maritime analytics provider Marine Traffic, the Chinese ship ‘Xiang Yang Hong 01’ departed from the Chinese port of Qingdao on 23rd Feb. Xian Yang Hong 01 is now less than 260 nautical miles — about 480 km — off the coast of Visakhapatnam, which is believed to have the base of India’s nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarines. It reached the Bay of Bengal on 10th March, a day before the test. According to media reports, two weeks ago, another Chinese research vessel, the Xiang Yang Hong 3, visited the Male port for operational purposes, as confirmed by the Maldivian Government. China has also sent ships to spy on India’s missile tests in the past.

Several coasts of Andhra Pradesh, Kerala and Tamil Nadu come under the influence of Chinese ships docking at the ports of Maldives and Sri Lanka. China’s spy ships are equipped with ‘high-tech eavesdropping equipment’. This means that they can dock at the ports of nearby countries and collect information as far as the interior of India.

Features of India’s ‘Agni-5’ missile !

1. The ability to hit multiple targets at a time

2. China and half of Europe in the range of this missile

3. Destruction capacity up to 5,000 km

4. The ability to carry nuclear weapons weighing one and a half tons

5. Speed: ‘Mach 24’, i.e. 24 times faster than the speed of sound (29,635 km per hour)

6. As per DRDO, the Agni-5 missile is an indigenously developed missile with Multiple Independently Targetable reentry vehicle (MIRV) technology. India is the sixth country after the US, Russia, Britain, France and China to have MIRV technology !

Editorial Perspective

India must also surround the aggressive China to keep an eye on it. India must strengthen strategic relations with China’s neighbours, Vietnam, the Philippines, Japan, South Korea, and Russia !