The submarine-based ballistic missile, which has a top range of 700 kilometres, was launched from a land-based mobile launcher at the Chandipur-on-Sea testing range in eastern Orissa state.

'The test went off well,' a defence official said.

India had previous tested the K-15 missile from an undersea platform for the first time in February this year, completing its goal of having air-, land- and sea-launched ballistic systems.

The K-15 will be deployed on a nuclear submarine that the Indian navy expects to be ready for sea trials by 2009. -- AFP