(Press release: Unedited)
DRDO developed surface to surface PRITHVI ( P-II ) Missile was successfully flight tested at 11.04 AM from Launch Complex III, Integrated Test Range (ITR), Chandipur, Balasore District in Orissa. The launch was carried out by the Strategic Force Command ( SFC ) as part of regular training exercise.
PRITHVI II, capable of attacking targets at ranges of 350 Kms, is India’s earliest developed and inducted, among the indigenous surface to surface strategic Missiles. Guided all through by an accurate Inertial Navigation System (INS) and controlled by the Thrust vector control and Aero-dynamic control systems the missile reached the predefined target in the Bay of Bengal with a very high accuracy of better than 10 meters. The single stage Liquid Propelled Vehicle developed by DRDO, was inducted into the Armed Forces and one of the Missiles drawn from the inventory of Armed Forces, was test fired by the SFC.
All the Radars, Electro optical systems located along the coast have tracked and monitored all the parameters of the Missile throughout the flight path. An Indian Naval ship located near the target in Bay-of –Bengal, witnessed the final event.
The entire launch operations were carried out by the Armed Forces and monitored by the Scientists of DRDO. The flight test of the PRITHVI – II Missile met all the Mission objectives and was perfect like text book launch. PRITHVI II missile has been successfully flight tested number of times as part of development, induction and training exercises. Today’s launch again proves the reliability of PRITHVI and confirms successful induction in services.
The team of Armed Forces and Scientists were lead by the Project Director Shri Siva Subramanyam and Shri Adalat Ali, Programme Director; Shri A.K. Chakraborti, Director DRDL; Shri G. Satheesh Reddy, Associate Director RCI, Shri MVKV Prasad, Director, ITR and Dr Manjit Singh, Director TBRL, were present during the flight test.
Dr. Vijay Kumar Saraswat, Scientific Adviser to Raksha Mantri, Secretary, Deptt of Defence R&D, and DG DRDO, was present during the flight test, congratulated the Armed Forces and all the Scientists and other employees of DRDO for the successful flight test of PRITHVI (P-II ).