India’s Nuclear Capable Missile Prithvi II Battle Ready

India today test fired its nuclear capable ballistic missile, the Prithvi II, in a user trial conducted by the Strategic Forces Command of the Indian Army, off the coast of Odisha. Monitored by the Defense Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), the firing of the indigenously developed surface-to-surface missile met all mission objectives and was hailed “successful”. The trial was conducted to gauge the effectiveness of the weapon in a real time situation, according to the DRDO. The missiles “perfect launch” during the user trial is a clear indication that the missile has cleared every hurdle and is fully functional. "The whole exercise was aimed at studying the control and guidance system of the missile besides providing training to the Army, which happens to be the user," a senior official was quoted as saying. Developed under the ambitious Integrated Guided Missile Development Programme, Prithvi can carry 500 kg of both nuclear and conventional warheads with a range of 350 km, is 9 metre-long, 1 metre in diameter with liquid propulsion twin engine. As part of training exercises, the Prithvi II has been flight tested many times. In December 2011, the twin-user trial of the missiles was deferred due to a technical snag. But earlier, the same year, the missile successfully reached its predefined target in the Bay of Bengal. On a mission to strengthen its armed forces, India earlier this year flight tested its other nuclear capable ballistic missile, the AGNI-I, which met all mission objectives. Meanwhile, its counterpart, the AGNI-V was also test fired successfully this year with the DRDO terming it a “textbook launch”. And, the induction of the anti-tank missile known as Nag has been delayed further due to technical glitches.