Prithvi-11 ballistic missile successfuly test-fired

Balasore, Dec 22 (PTI) India Wednesday successfully
test-fired its indigenously developed and nuclear-capable
Prithvi-II ballistic missile, which has a striking range of
350 km, from the Integrated Test Range (ITR) at Chandipur off
the east Indian state of Orissa coast.
"The missile mounted on a mobile launcher was
test-fired from the launch complex-3 in the ITR at around
0815 hours", defence sources said.
The test-firing of the missile, which has already been
inducted into the armed forces, was successful, the sources
said, adding it was a routine trial conducted by the personnel
of strategic force command (SFC).
"The entire trajectory of Wednesday's trial was
tracked by a battery of sophisticated radars, electro-optic
telemetry stations and ships launched in the down range impact
point area in the Bay for the post-launch analyses," the
sources said.
During the last user trial from the same launch
complex on September 24, 2010, the missile, had failed to
perform due to some technical problems.
"Prithvi-II missile had proved its robustness and
accuracy repeatedly during many trials earlier," a Defence
Research and Development Organization (DRDO) official said.
With a maximum striking range of 350 km, Prithvi-II is
capable of carrying a pay-load of 500-1000 kg warhead.
"Taken from routine production lot during earlier
user trials by Indian Army, the missile had achieved single
digit accuracy reaching close to zero circular error
probability (CEP)," the sources said.
The missile, which has the features to deceive any
anti-ballistic missile, had demonstrated flight duration of
483 seconds reaching a peak altitude of 43.5 kms during user’s
trial in 2008.
Similarly, as part of operational exercises by the
Armed forces, two numbers of Prithvi-11 missiles, aimed at two
different targets at 350 km from launch point of ITR, at
Chandipur were successfully launched within minutes of each
other on 12 October, 2009 and all the mission objectives were
met, the sources said.

Prithvi, the first ballistic missile developed under
the country's prestigious Integrated Guided Missile
Development Programme (IGMDP), is propelled by liquid
propulsion twin engine.
With a length of nine meter and one meter diameter,
Prithvi-II uses an advanced inertial navigation system with
manoeuvring trajectory.
The sleek surface-to-surface missile had proved its
accuracy when the user tried it in a ‘salvo mode’ on March
27 and June 18, 2010 from ITR, Chandipur. It was the fourth
successful Prithvi-II flight within a period of eight months.
PTI COR
SMT