Nuclear capable 'Prithvi-II' test fired successfully

Chandipur, Apr 15 (ANI): India on Wednesday successfully test fired the indigenous surface-to-surface ballistic missile, 'Prithvi-II', from the Integrated Test Range (ITR) here, 15 km from Balasore.

Prithvi-II, a version of nuclear-capable, has a range of 350 km.

The missile was launched from a mobile launcher at around 10:20 a.m. as part of a user trial by the army, defence sources said.

The entire trajectory of the trial was tracked down by a battery of sophisticated radars and electro-optic telemetry stations positioned in different locations for post-launch analysis, they said.

A naval ship had been anchored near the impact point in the Bay of Bengal and a Long-Range Tracking Radar (LRTR) as well as a Multi-Function Tracking Radar (MFTR) had been deployed to track the missile's trajectory.

Prithvi II is a short-range, road-mobile, liquid-propellant ballistic missile. Similar to the Prithvi I in many ways, Prithvi II trades a smaller warhead for a longer range.

From 2002 on, Prithvi II is used by the Indian Army with the overarching logistical control and support retained by the Indian Air Force (IAF).

It was first test-fired on January 27, 1996 and the development stages were completed in 2004. (ANI)