India successfully test-fires nuclear capable ballistic missile Prithvi-II off Odisha coast

Balasore: India on Wednesday successfully test-fired its indigenously developed nuclear capable Prithvi-II missile as part of a user trial by the Indian Army from a test range in Odisha, defence sources said. The trial of the surface-to-surface missile, which has a strike range of 350 kilometres, was carried out from a mobile launcher from launch complex three of the Integrated Test Range at Chandipur near Balasore at around 11.35 am, they said. Describing the trial as a complete success, they said all mission objectives were met during the test launch. The perfect test launch came after the successful trial of Agni-V on 18 January and Agni-I missile conducted from Abdul Kalam Island off Odisha coast on Tuesday. [caption id=“attachment_2786700” align=“alignleft” width=“385”] File image of Prithvi-II missile. Image courtesy: DRDO[/caption] Prithvi-II is capable of carrying 500-1,000 kilograms of warheads and derives its thrust from liquid propulsion twin engines. The state-of-the-art missile uses advanced inertial guidance system with manoeuvring trajectory to hit its target, sources said. The missile was randomly chosen from the production stock and the entire launch activities were carried out by the specially formed Strategic Force Command (SFC) of the army and monitored by the scientists of Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) as part of training exercise, they said. “The missile trajectory was tracked by radars, electro-optical tracking systems and telemetry stations by the DRDO along the coast of Odisha,” the 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. In salvo mode, on 21 November, 2016, two missiles were successfully test fired in quick succession from the same base and the last trial was successful on 2 June, 2017 from the same base. Inducted into the armed forces of the country in 2003, the nine-metre-tall, single-stage liquid-fuelled Prithvi-II is the first missile to have been developed by the DRDO under the Integrated Guided Missile Development Programme (IGMDP), sources said.