Balasore (Odisha): 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 here 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.
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). (PTI)
