India has successfully tested a surface-to-air missile, a day after announcing plans to increase its nuclear capabilities with a ballistic missile capable of hitting targets 6,000km away, officials say.

The 700kg Akash missile can track 100 targets simultaneously with onboard radar, move at 600m a second and deliver a 55kg warhead across 27km in 50 seconds.

Akash, which was last tested in January, successfully intercepted a flying target, according to a defence ministry official.

By staff writer