Significantly, this was Prithvi II’s fourth successful “user trial” during the last eight months. Friday’s test firing was conducted by the Army, sources in the Chandipur ITR said. According to official sources, the nine-metre long indigenously developed ballistic missile was test launched from a mobile launcher parked in the premier missile testing centre’s launch pad number three at around 6:50 am.
A number of senior scientists from the DRDO besides senior officials from the Army as well as the Ministry of Defence were present during the test launch. The last successful test firing of the missile, with the capability to hit a target at a distance of 350 km carrying both conventional as well as nuclear warheads up to 500 kg, was conducted on March 27. The Prithvi II missile, developed under the country’s prestigious Integrated Guided Missile Development Programme , had its maiden test flight way back in 1996.