India on Thursday successfully test-fired its nuclear-capable Prithvi-II ballistic missile with a strike range of 350 kilometres from a test range near Balasore in Odihsa state as part of a user trial by the army. “The surface-to-surface missile was flight tested from a mobile launcher from Integrated Test Range’s launch complex-3 at Chandipur,” defence sources said. Describing the trial of the indigenously developed strategic missile as “fully successful”, ITR Director MVKV Prasad said, “All the mission objectives were accomplished.” The state-of-the-art Prithvi is the first ballistic missile developed under the country’s prestigious Integrated Guided Missile Development Programme (IGMPD) and has the capability to carry 500 kg of both nuclear and conventional warheads with a strike range of 350 km, the sources said. The missile uses advanced inertial guidance system with maneuvering trajectory. The test-fire of the sophisticated short-range ballistic missile, already inducted into the armed forces, was a user trial by the army and monitored by scientists of Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO). The sleek missile is handled by the strategic force command (SFC), a defence scientist said, adding the trial was conducted to gauge the effectiveness of the weapon in a real time situation and improve accuracy. “The whole exercise was aimed at studying the control and guidance system of the missile besides providing training to the Army,” said a DRDO official.
