The New Indian Express:
BHUBANESWAR: India on Friday successfully test-fired the land version of the short range surface–to–surface ballistic missile Prithvi-II from a defence base off Odisha coast.
Defence sources said that it was mounted on a Mobile Tatra transporter-erector Launcher (MTL). The indigenously built ballistic missile Prithvi-II was fired from the launching complex – III (LC-III) of the Integrated Test Range (ITR) at Chandipur-on-sea at about 9.50 am.
“As part of user training exercises, the test was conducted by the Strategic Forces Command (SFC) of the Indian Army with logistics support from DRDO. The missile used for the test was picked randomly from the assembly line. Carrying a dummy payload, it covered the desired striking range and met all mission objectives successfully,” said an official.
Defence sources said the 9-metre-high and one-metre-thick missile, with a launch weight of 4.6
tonnes, developed by DRDO, has a strike range of up to 350 km. Powered by liquid propellant, Prithvi-II can operate with both liquid as well as solid fuel.
The missile, made from aluminum alloy and with its wings fashioned from magnesium, has been inducted into the 333-missile regiment of the Indian Army. This missile has the capability to carry a payload of up to 1,000 kg but if the same was reduced by half, the striking range could be enhanced…
