China Test-fires Intercontinental Ballistic Missile into the Pacific
The Hindu

Context
China recently test-launched an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM), firing it into the Pacific Ocean. This marked China’s first such exercise in decades, triggering protests from neighboring countries, notably Japan, which expressed "serious concern" about Beijing’s growing military capabilities.

Intercontinental Ballistic Missile (ICBM)

• About: ICBMs are long-range ballistic missile systems, primarily designed for delivering nuclear weapons over vast distances at incredibly high speeds.
• Average Range: Greater than 5,500 kilometres.
• Maximum Range: 7,000 to 16,000 kilometres.
• Speed: Can exceed 20,000 kilometres per hour.
• Payload: Typically designed to carry nuclear warheads but can also be configured to deliver other types of weapons, such as chemical or biological weapons.
• Deployment:
  • Silos underground,
  • Mobile launchers on land,
  • Submarines at sea.
• Countries having operational ICBMs: Russia, United States, China, France, India,  United Kingdom, Israel and North Korea. 
• India’s ICBM:
  • Agni V, a solid-fueled ICBM, with a strike range of 7,000-10,000 km.