Prithvi-II ballistic missile successfully test-fired

Balasore (Orissa), Sept 26 (PTI) India Monday
successfully test-fired its nuclear capable 'Prithvi-II'
ballistic missile, with a range of 350 kms, as part of user
trial by the armed forces from Chandipur off Orissa coast,
about 15 km from here in eastern Indian state.
"The indigenously developed surface-to-surface missile
was flight tested at around 8.50 AM from a mobile launcher
from the Integrated Test Range launch complex-III," ITR
Director S P Dash said.
The trial, conducted as part of operational exercise,
was "fully successful," he said.
The test firing of the short-range ballistic missile,
which has already been inducted into the armed forces, was a
'user trial', defence sources said.
The sleek missile is "handled by the specially raised
strategic force command", they said, adding the missile has a
length of 9 metres and is one metre in diameter. It is
propelled by two engines than run on liquid fuel.
Prithvi, the first ballistic missile developed under the
country's prestigious Integrated Guided Missile Development
Programme (IGMDP), has the capability of carrying 500 kg of
warhead.
The missile uses advanced inertial guidance system with
manoeuvring trajectory.
A Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO)
spokesperson said the missile reached the predefined target in
the Bay of Bengal with a very high accuracy of better than 10
meters.
"All the radars, electro optical systems located along
the coast have tracked and monitored all the parameters of the
missile throughout the flight path and an Indian Navy ship
located near the target witnessed the final event," he said.
The flight test of the missile met all the mission
objectives and was like a text book launch, he said.
After the successful trial, DRDO Chief V K Saraswat
congratulated the scientists and armed forces personnel
involved in Monday's flight testing.