Prithvi-II missile test-fired by the Army

December 03, 2013 11:44 am | Updated June 02, 2016 02:31 am IST - Balasore (Odisha)

The Strategic Forces Command (SFC) of the Army successfully test-fired on Tuesday the surface-to-surface Prithvi-II missile from the Integrated Test Range near Balasore, Odisha.

The missile, which can travel 250 km-350 km, can carry a nuclear warhead weighing 350 kg. The SFC of the Services is in charge of the delivery systems, equipped with nuclear warheads.

Informed sources said Prithvi-II was such “a well-established and proven system” that the Tuesday flight amounted to a “routine exercise.” Prithvi-II, a battle-field support missile meant for deep interdiction, has already been inducted into the Army. Its Naval version called Dhanush has been inducted into the Navy.

The SFC will be test-firing the Agni-III missile, with a range of more than 3,000 km, from Wheeler Island off the Odisha coast, in the third week of December. Agni-III can carry nuclear warheads weighing one tonne. The Army has already deployed Agni-I, II and III missiles, all of which have been developed by the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) and can carry nuclear warheads.

The DRDO is getting ready for an interceptor missile launch, an Agni-IV flight, and a test-firing of Agni-V from a canister from the Wheeler Island in the coming weeks. Agni-IV has a range of 4,000 km.

The DRDO had successfully test-fired the Agni-V missile with a range of more than 5,000 km in April 2012 and September 2013. Both the flights took place from a rail-mobile launcher on Wheeler Island. A canisterised flight of Agni-V from a truck, if it is proven in successive trials, will give a lot of mobility to the missile, which can carry a nuclear warhead weighing one tonne.

0 / 0
Sign in to unlock member-only benefits!
  • Access 10 free stories every month
  • Save stories to read later
  • Access to comment on every story
  • Sign-up/manage your newsletter subscriptions with a single click
  • Get notified by email for early access to discounts & offers on our products
Sign in

Comments

Comments have to be in English, and in full sentences. They cannot be abusive or personal. Please abide by our community guidelines for posting your comments.

We have migrated to a new commenting platform. If you are already a registered user of The Hindu and logged in, you may continue to engage with our articles. If you do not have an account please register and login to post comments. Users can access their older comments by logging into their accounts on Vuukle.