Nuclear-capable Prithvi-II, a surface-to-surface missile with a range of 350 km, was successfully test-fired at 10.04 am on Tuesday from the launch Complex-3 of the Integrated Test Range (ITR) at Chandipur in Baleswar district.
The indigenously-developed missile was test-fired from a mobile launcher as part of user trials by the Strategic Forces Command (SFC), Defence sources said.
The missile has already been inducted into the armed forces and is handled by the Army units attached to the Strategic Force Command’s special group.
The twin-engine Prithvi-II is 8.56 meters in length, 1 meter-wide and 4,600— kg weight. It has features to deceive enemy missiles and is equipped with ‘added inertial’ navigation systems.The missile’s targets and all the parameters were met, said ITR, Chandipur Director MVKV Prasad.
The weapon has been designed to operate with both liquid and solid fuels and is capable of carrying 500 kg of both conventional and nuclear payloads, a Defence scientist said.
The user trial of Prithvi-II had last been carried out on October 8 this year from the ITR, Chandipur.