Surface-to-surface nuclear-capable ballistic missile Prithvi-II was on Friday successfully test-fired from a Defence base off the Odisha coast as part of a user trial by the Army.
According to sources, the trial of the missile was carried out by firing it from a mobile launcher from the launch Complex-III of the Integrated Test Range (ITR) at Chandipur near here at about 9.50 am.
The launch was carried out by the specially-formed Strategic Force Command (SFC), which was monitored by scientists of the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO).
The indigenously-developed Prithvi-II has a strike range of 350 km and is capable of carrying 500 kg to 1,000 kg of warheads. It is thrust by liquid propulsion twin engines and uses advanced inertial guidance system with manoeuvring trajectory to hit its target with precision and accuracy.
The missile was inducted into Indian armed forces in 2003. It is the first missile to have been developed by the DRDO under the Integrated Guided Missile Development Programme.