India test-fires Prtihvi-II ballistic missile

NEW DELHI - India Friday successfully test-fired its home-made, nuclear-capable Prithvi-II ballistic missile off the coast of the eastern state of Odisha, sources said.

"The test-firing of the surface-to-surface missile from the Integrated Test Range at Chandipur near the state's Balasore district around 10 am (local time) was actually part of user trial by the India Army," sources said.

The sleek missile is handled by the strategic force command and the test-firing was conducted in order to gauge the effectiveness of the weapon in a real-time situation, sources said.

"Scientists of the state-owned Defence Research Development Organization (DRDO) supervised the test-firing while Teams on board a ship deployed in the Bay of Bengal monitored the terminal events and splashdown," sources added.

Prithvi-II, the first ballistic missile developed under the country's prestigious Integrated Guided Missile Development Program, has the capability to carry over 500 kg of warheads with a strike range of 350 km. It uses advanced inertial guidance system with manoeuvring trajectory.

The missile, capable of carrying both nuclear and conventional warheads, has a length of 9 meters and is 1 meter in diameter with liquid propulsion twin engine.