India Thursday test fired a shorter-range version of its nuclear-capable Agni missile, capable of striking almost anywhere in Pakistan, that analysts said would boost its defenses against its nuclear-armed neighbor. The test at a remote site in eastern Orissa state over the Bay of Bengal "was a textbook launch, everything went perfectly," a senior defense official told Reuters in New Delhi.

The ballistic missile test, one of a series planned in coming days, followed the exchange of tough nuclear rhetoric earlier this week by India and Pakistan, which nearly went to war last year over the disputed Himalayan region of Kashmir .

Pakistan's Foreign Ministry said the test, watched by Indian Defense Minister George Fernandes, came as no surprise as New Delhi's "nuclear and missile ambitions were well known."

The surface-to-surface Agni model, which can carry a nuclear warhead, is the backbone of India's efforts to build a credible self-defense strategy against nuclear-armed Pakistan and China. Agni-1 has a one-ton payload capacity and can be fired from rail and road launchers, making it highly mobile.

"The test is one more step in enhancing India's overall weapons of mass destruction capability," said Uday Bhaskar, deputy head of the government-funded Institute for Defense Studies and Analyzes.

Earlier this week, Fernandes said India would destroy Pakistan in any reprisal against a Pakistani nuclear attack.

His statement came after Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf said the threat of a "non-conventional war" helped avert a conflict between the two neighbors last year over Kashmir.

Musharraf's spokesman swiftly denied that the Pakistani leader meant a nuclear war, saying he was referring to a popular uprising against New Delhi's rule in Indian Kashmir.

NO FIRST STRIKE

India has a 'no first strike' policy but Pakistan has not ruled out using nuclear weapons first if its territorial integrity is threatened. The rivals have fought three wars since independence in 1947, two over Kashmir.

Pakistan, which matched India's underground nuclear blasts in May 1998 with tests of its own, has also developed a range of missiles to deliver such weapons. Jane's Strategic Weapons System estimates India has 100 to 150 warheads and Pakistan 25 to 50.

Wednesday, the Pakistani military said it had received domestically produced medium-range missiles capable of carrying nuclear warheads.

New Delhi has expressed concern at what it believes is Chinese nuclear and missile assistance to Pakistan, and has also sought an investigation into media reports of military collaboration between Pakistan and North Korea .

Defense experts said the missile tests were unlikely to reignite military tensions between India and Pakistan because they were seen as routine.

"This was not an unexpected development," the Pakistani Foreign Ministry said in statement, adding Islamabad conducted its own missile tests "when technical requirements so demand."

India's Agni, which means fire in Sanskrit, is one of a range of missiles expected to be tested over the next few days.

While the already operational longer version of the Agni is capable of hitting targets in China, the short-range version tested for the second time Thursday is seen as a deterrent against Pakistan.

Scientists also plan to test a supersonic cruise missile jointly developed with Russia. The Brahmos missile, with a range of 175 miles, is set to enter production by year end.

India also plans to test a 150-mile range variant of its surface-to-surface missile, Prithvi, which has the potential to be nuclear capable. A 90-mile version of the Prithvi, which means earth, is already in use by the army.

PHOTO CAPTION

The Agni missile is seen during a test launch in the eastern Indian state of Orisa in this Jan. 25, 2002, file photograph. India test-fired a shorter-range version of its nuclear-capable Agni missile Jan. 9, 2003, that analysts said would boost the country's defense strategy against nuclear-armed neighbor Pakistan. The Agni 1 missile was tested across the Bay of Bengal to a range of about 520 miles. (Reuters - Handout)