India on Tuesday test-fired its indigenously developed Prithvi II missile -- capable of carrying 500kg -1000kg of warheads -- as part of a user trial by the army from a test range at Chandipur. The missile test was carried out from a mobile launcher from launch complex-3 of the Integrated Test Range (ITR) at about 1000 hours, defence officials said.
With a strike range of 350km, the surface-to-surface Prithvi II is capable of carrying 500 kg to 1,000 kg of warheads and is thrusted by liquid propulsion twin engines. It uses advanced inertial guidance system with manoeuvring trajectory to hit its target.
Data of the missile trial conducted by the specially-formed Strategic Force Command (SFC) were being analysed, officials said.
The missile was randomly chosen from the production stock and the launch activities were carried out by the SFC and monitored by scientists of the 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.
The downrange teams on board the ship deployed near the designated impact point in the Bay of Bengal monitored terminal events and splashdown, officials added.
Inducted into India’s armed forces in 2003, Prithvi II -- the first missile to be developed by DRDO under the prestigious IGMDP (Integrated Guided Missile Development Program) -- is now a proven technology, they said.
Such training launches indicate India’s operational readiness to meet any eventuality and establish the reliability of this deterrent component of strategic arsenal, defence officials said. The last user trial of Prithvi II was successfully conducted on November 26, 2015 from the same test range in Odisha.
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