India successfully test fired its indigenously developed nuclear capable missile Prithvi II. It was launched as part of the user trial by the Indian Army from a test range in Odisha.
- Prithvi II is a surface-to-surface missile having a strike range of about 350km.
- The launch was carried out from a mobile launcher from the launch complex-3 of the Integrated Test Range at Chandipur, Odisha.
- The missile trajectory was tracked by radars, electro-optical tracking systems and telemetry stations by the DRDO along the coast of Odisha.
Features of Prithvi II
- Prithvi-II is capable of carrying 500-1,000 kilogram of warheads and is thrust by liquid propulsion twin engines.
- It is a state-of-the-art missile which uses advanced inertial guidance system with manoeuvring trajectory to hot its target.
- 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 a training exercise.
- It was inducted into the Armed Forces of India in 2003.
- It is 9 metres tall, single-stage, single fuelled missile developed by the DRDO under the IGMDP (Integrated Guided Missile Development Programme).
About Prithvi Missile
- Prithvi is a tactical surface-to-surface short-range ballistic missile (SRBM) developed by DRDO of India under the Integrated Guided Missile Development Program (IGMDP). It is deployed by India's Strategic Forces Command. The Government of India launched the Integrated Guided Missile Development Program in 1983 to achieve self-sufficiency in the development and production of wide range of ballistic missiles, surface-to-air missiles etc. Prithvi was the first missile to be developed under the program.
Variants of Prithvi
- The Prithvi missile project encompassed developing three variants for use by the Indian Army, Indian Air Force and the Indian Navy. Its variants are-
- Prithvi I (SS-150) – Army version (surface-to-surface ballistic missile)
- Prithvi II (SS-250) – Air Force version (single-stage liquid-fuelled missile)
- Prithvi III (SS-350) – Naval version (two-stage surface-to-surface missile)
