India test fires nuclear capable missile from Odisha

ODISHA: India test-fired a nuclear-capable Prithvi-II missile from a test range at Chandipur, Odisha on Monday, Express News reported.

According to a report published by The Hindu, the missile has a strike range of 350 kilometers. At around 9:14am, the missile was test fired in salvo mode from a mobile launcher.

“The missile was randomly chosen from the production stock and the total launch activities were carried out by the specially formed SFC and monitored by the scientists of (Defence Research and Development Organisation) DRDO as part of practice drill,” sources said.

“The missile trajectory will be tracked by the DRDO radars, electro-optical tracking systems and telemetry stations located along the coast of Odisha,” they said.

“The downrange teams on board the ship deployed near the designated impact point in the Bay of Bengal will monitor the terminal events and splashdown,” they said.

The Prithvi II missile was inducted into India’s Strategic Forces Command in 2003 and is the first missile developed by DRDO under India’s IGMDP (Integrated Guided Missile Development Program.

The missile is capable of carrying 500 to 1000 kilograms of warheads according to The Hindu.

On September 14, India successfully test-fired for a nuclear-capable missile that can reach Beijing and much of Europe.