Balasore: India Friday successfully test-fired the indigenously developed nuclear-capable Prithvi-II missile from a test range in Orissa as part of a user trial by the Army.
The trial of the surface-to-surface missile, which has a strike range of 350 km, was carried out from a mobile launcher from launch complex-3 of the Integrated Test Range (ITR) at Chandipur near here at around 9.50 am, official sources said.
The trial of the sophisticated missile was successful and the mission objectives were met, they said.
The Prithvi-II missile is capable of carrying 500 kg to 1,000 kg of warheads and is thrust by liquid propulsion twin engines. It uses advanced inertial guidance system with manoeuvring trajectory to hit its target with precision and accuracy, defence sources said.
The state-of-the-art missile was randomly chosen from the production stock and the entire launch activities were carried out by the specially formed strategic force command (SFC) and monitored by the scientists of the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) as part of a training exercise, a DRDO scientist said.
“The missile trajectory was tracked by the DRDO radars, electro-optical tracking systems and telemetry stations located along the coast of Orissa,” the sources said.
Teams on board the ship deployed near the designated impact point in the Bay of Bengal monitored the terminal events and splashdown, they added.
In salvo mode, two Prithvi-II missiles were successfully test-fired in quick successions from the same base, November 21, 2016.
Inducted into the Indian armed forces in 2003, the nine-metre-tall and single-stage liquid-fuelled Prithvi-II is the first missile to have been developed by the DRDO under the Integrated Guided Missile Development Programme. PTI
