India to test submarine-based missile

India will soon conduct its first test of a submarine-based ballistic missile which can be tipped with a nuclear warhead, an official announced on Monday.

The experimental missile will be fired from a submerged pontoon, said S. Prahlada, chief controller of India's Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO).

"We have completed all preparations for the first-ever test launch of the missile and are awaiting the government's nod," Prahlada was quoted by AFP asa telling reporters on the sidelines of a major arms fair in the Indian capital.

The missile, named K-15, has a top range of 700 kilometres (438 miles).

If the test is successful, India will be capable of launching missiles from air, land, ships and submarines, and it will join an elite group that includes the United States, Russia, France and China, experts said.