India successfully test fires indigenously developed nuclear-capable missile Prithvi-II

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.