New Delhi, Jun 8 (PTI) India has successfully carried out a night launch of new generation nuclear capable ballistic missile 'Agni Prime' from the Abdul Kalam Island off the coast of Odisha, marking a boost to the country's strategic weaponry.

The first pre-induction night launch of the missile with a strike range of 1,000 to 2,000 km was carried out on Wednesday by the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) and the elite strategic forces command, officials said.

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The defence ministry said the test-firing met all the desired objectives and that it paved the way for induction of the system into the armed forces.

The test-firing of the missile came amid India's lingering border row with China.

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"New generation ballistic missile 'Agni Prime' was successfully flight-tested by Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) from Dr APJ Abdul Kalam Island off the coast of Odisha on June 7," the ministry said.

"This was the first pre-induction night launch conducted by the users after three successful developmental trials of the missile, validating the accuracy and reliability of the system," it said in a statement.

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh congratulated the DRDO and the armed forces for the success as well as the "copy-book" performance of the new generation ballistic missile.

The ministry said "range instrumentation like radar, telemetry and electro optical tracking systems were deployed at different locations, including two down-range ships, at the terminal point to capture flight data covering the entire trajectory of the vehicle".

"Senior officials from the DRDO and Strategic Forces Command witnessed the successful flight-test, which has paved the way for induction of the system into the Armed Forces," it said.

Chairman of the DRDO Samir V Kamat appreciated the efforts put in by the teams of DRDO laboratories and the users involved in the test launch.

In December, India successfully test-fired Agni-V missile that can strike targets at ranges up to 5,000 km.

Agni-V can bring almost the entire Asia including the northernmost part of China as well as some regions in Europe under its striking range.

The Agni 1 to 4 missiles have ranges from 700 km to 3,500 km and they have already been deployed.

In April, India successfully carried out the maiden flight trial of an endo-atmospheric interceptor missile from a ship off the coast of Odisha in the Bay of Bengal as part of its ambitious ballistic missile defence programme.

The purpose of the trial of the sea-based missile was to engage and neutralize a hostile ballistic missile threat thereby elevating India into an elite club of nations having such a capability.

India has been developing capabilities to intercept hostile ballistic missiles both inside and outside the earth's atmospheric limits.

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