India
today successfully test-fired the
indigenously developed nuclear-capable Prithvi-II
ballistic missile from the Integrated
Test Range (ITR) at Chandipur-on-sea in Balasore district off the Odisha
coast.
The Strategic Forces Command of the Indian Army test-fired the surface-to-surface missile from launch
complex number three of ITR at 9.45 this morning.
Prithvi
is India's first indigenously-built
ballistic missile and has a maximum range
of 350 km. It is one of the five missiles being developed under the
country's Integrated Guided Missile Development Programme. The battlefield
missile, with flight duration of 483 seconds and a peak altitude of 43.5 km,
can carry a 500-1000 kg warhead.
The
missile has features to deceive anti-ballistic missiles and uses an advanced
inertial guidance system with manoeuvering capabilities and reaches its target
within a few metres of accuracy. It has a higher lethal effect compared to
equivalent missiles in the world. Earlier, Prithvi-II was sucessfully
test-fired from the same military base on 7th of January this year and 3rd of
December last year.