PRITHVI II MISSILE
India on Friday successfully test-fired
its indigenously developed nuclear-capable surface-to-surface Prithvi II missile, with a range of 350 km, from a
test range near Balasore in Orissa as part of a user trial by the Army.
Integrated Test Range (ITR) Director M V K V Prasad
said the missile is capable of carrying 500 kg to 1,000 kg of warheads.
"It was a perfect launch and all mission objectives were met," he
said, adding the missile was test-fired from a mobile launcher in salvo mode
from launch complex-3 at Chandipur at about 9.45 AM.
"The missile trajectory was tracked by DRDO radars, electro-optical
tracking systems and telemetry stations located along the coast of
Odisha," defence sources said.
"The downrange teams onboard the ship deployed near the designated impact
point in the Bay of Bengal monitored the terminal events and splashdown,"
they said.
Defence sources said the training launch of Prithvi II, which was inducted into
Strategic Force Command (SFC) in 2003, clearly indicate the country's
operational readiness to meet any eventuality besides establishing the reliability
of this deterrent component of India's strategic arsenal.
Prithvi-II is the first missile to be developed by Defence Research and
Development Organisation (DRDO) under the country's prestigious Integrated
Guided Missile Development Program and is now a proven technology.
The missile is thrust by liquid propulsion twin engines and uses advanced
inertial guidance system with manoeuvring trajectory.
The missile was randomly chosen from the production stock and the entire launch
activities were carried out by the specially formed SFC as part of a regular
training exercise.
It was monitored by DRDO scientists, the sources said.
The last user trial of Prithvi-II was successfully conducted from the same base
on January 7, 2014.
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