The Hindu : National : Nuclear-capable Prithvi-II test-fired successfully

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Nuclear-capable Prithvi-II test-fired successfully

Y. Mallikarjun

“Outstanding launch; all mission objectives met”

HYDERABAD: Nuclear-capable, 350-km range surface-to-surface ballistic missile, Prithvi-II, was successfully test-fired in a “strategic mode in a completely user configuration” by the Army from the Integrated Test Range (ITR), Chandipur, Balasore, off the Orissa coast on Friday.

The liquid-fuelled missile, carrying a dummy payload of 500 kg, lifted off from its mobile launcher at 10.26 a.m., zoomed to a peak altitude of 43.5 km and zeroed in on the impact point, 350 km away in the sea, following a flight time of 483 seconds.

Event recorded

Ships equipped with ranging systems and located near the impact point recorded the entire event. All the radar systems at the ITR — Long Range Tracking Radar, Konarak and Multi-Function Tracking Radar, Paradeep — tracked the vehicle and confirmed the normalcy of the trajectory.

Prithvi-II was inducted into the Army two years ago and the test-firing was a post-induction training launch. The Air Force version of Prithvi-II (250 km) was inducted in 2004.

Talking to The Hindu from Balasore soon after the launch, V.K. Saraswat, Chief Controller R&D, (Missiles and Strategic Systems), DRDO, said the launch was “outstanding” and went off with textbook precision. He said “all the mission objectives were met to the final decimal place.”

The most significant achievement was that the user carried out all the activities from drawing the missile from depot to transporting and launching it, he added. The missile was in the configuration in which “it is fielded.”

Another top DRDO official, also present at Balasore, said that for the first time the twin-engine missile was tested for an extended range of 350 km in “Army version.”

Single-digit accuracy

A DRDO press note said the missile was launched with an improved ‘Aided Inertial Navigation’ and achieved single-digit accuracy reaching close to zero CEP (Circular Error Probable). It had features to deceive any anti-ballistic missiles.

Top Army officials, ITR Director S.P. Dash and several DRDO scientists witnessed the launch.

Antony congratulates

Defence Minister A.K. Antony and Scientific Adviser to the Defence Minister, M. Natarajan, congratulated the DRDO scientists and the Army team. Sources in the DRDO said the range of Prithvi-I was being extended from 150 km to 250 km.

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