India Successfully Tests Prithvi-II Short-Range Ballistic Missile

India today (15 June) successfully tested short-range ballistic missile Prithvi-II from the Integrated Test Range in Odisha's Chandipur.

"The missile is a proven system and is capable of striking targets with a very high degree of precision," the Ministry of Defence said, adding, "The user training launch successfully validated all operational and technical parameters of the missile."

The missile has a strike range of 350km and is capable of carrying 500 kg to 1,000 kg of warheads. It uses an advanced inertial guidance system with a manoeuvring trajectory to hit its target.

The nine-metre-tall, single-stage liquid-fuelled Prithvi-II was first test-fired in 1996 and was inducted into the Indian armed forces in 2003. It was the first missile to be developed by the Defence Research and Development Organisation under the Integrated Guided Missile Development Programme.