India on Tuesday successfully tested nuclear-capable surface-to-surface missile Prithvi II that has a strike range of 350 kilometers.

Prithvi II, which was launched from a mobile launcher in the Integrated Test Range at Chandipur in Balasore district of Odisha, is capable of carrying nuclear warheads of 500kg to 1,000kg.

Describing the trial of the sophisticated missile as a complete success, MVKV Prasad, the director of the Integrated Test Range, described the launch as a complete success, adding that it met all the parameters.

The launch and trajectory of the sophisticated missile, which was randomly picked from the production stock, was monitored by scientists of the Defence Research & Development Organisation (DRDO).

Inducted into the Strategic Forces Command (SFC) in 2003, Prithvi II is capable of deceiving anti-ballistic missiles.  It boasts two powerful liquid propulsion engines and advanced inertial guidance system.  It is the first missile to be developed by DRDO under the country's Integrated Guided Missile Development Programme (IGMDP).

The naval version of the Prithvi-II missile is called Dhanush, which is capable of carrying a nuclear warhead of 500 kilograms over a distance of 250 kilometers.

Source: Top News