India successfully test-fires Prithvi-II missile at Chandipur in Odisha

BALASORE: India today successfully test-fired its indigenously developed nuclear capable Prithvi-II surface-to-surface missile with a strike range of 350 km as part of a user trial by the army from a test range at Chandipur in Odisha.

The missile test was carried out from a mobile launcher from launch complex-3 of the Integrated Test Range (ITR) at about 0920 hrs.

With a strike range of 350 km, Prithvi-II is capable of carrying 500 kg to 1,000 kg of warheads and is thrusted by liquid propulsion twine engines. It uses advanced inertial guidance system with manoeuvering trajectory.

"The trial of the missile conducted by the Strategic Force Command (SFC) was fully successful," ITR Director MVKV Prasad told over phone.

"The missile was randomly chosen from the production stock and the entire launch activities were carried out by the specially formed SFC and monitored by the scientists of Defence Research and Development Organisation ( DRDO) as part of training exercise," a defence scientist said.

"The missile trajectory was tracked by DRDO radars, electro-optical tracking systems and telemetry stations located along the coast of Odisha," sources said.

"The downrange teams on board the ship deployed near the designated impact point in the Bay of Bengal monitored the terminal events and splashdown," they said.

Inducted into India's SFC in 2003, Prithvi II, the first missile to be developed by DRDO under India's prestigious IGMDP (Integrated Guided Missile Development Program) is now a proven technology, defence sources said.

Such training launches clearly indicate India's operational readiness to meet any eventuality and also establishes the reliability of this deterrent component of India's Strategic arsenal, they said.

The last user trial of Prithvi-II was successfully conducted on November 14, 2014 from the same test range in Odisha.