India has successfully test fired its indigenously developed Prithvi-II missile from Chandipur off the Odisha coast. The medium range missile is capable of carrying 500 kg to 1000 kg of warheads and is thrusted by liquid propulsion twin engines. As part of a user trial, the missile with a strike range of 350 km, the surface-to-surface Prithvi-II test was carried out from a mobile launcher from launch complex-3 of the Integrated Test Range.

The first missile to be developed by the DRDO under India’s Integrated Guided Missile Development Program, Prithvi-II was inducted into India’s armed forces in 2003. The last user trial of Prithvi-II was successfully conducted on November 26 last year from the same test range in Odisha. The battlefield missile has a flight duration of 483 seconds and a peak altitude of 43.5 km.

The missile was randomly chosen from the production stock and the entire launch activities were carried out by the SFC and monitored by the scientists of Defence Research and Development Organisation.

Integrated Guided Missile Development Programme

• The Integrated Guided Missile Development Programme (IGMDP) was an Indian Ministry of Defenceprogramme for the research and development of a comprehensive range of missiles.
• The programme was managed by the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) and Ordnance Factories Board in partnership with other Indian government research organisations.
• The project started in 1982–83 under the leadership of APJ Abdul Kalam and ended in 2008 after these strategic missiles were successfully developed.