India reports successful missile test

India successfully tested a short-range, nuclear-capable missile with a range of 350km today, an official said.

India successfully tested a short-range, nuclear-capable missile with a range of 350km today, an official said.

The army twice fired the surface-to-surface missile Prithvi II from a range in Chandipur in the eastern state of Orissa, said SP Dash, a senior official at the range.

“The test was successful,” the official said.

The missile, which would target mainly military installations, can carry a warhead weighing up to 500kg, he said.

READ MORE

It has already been tested more than half a dozen times. However, a test of the same missile three months ago failed due to technical problems.

India and long-time rival Pakistan routinely test-fire missiles, and usually notify each other ahead of the launches.

New Delhi has said it developed its current crop of missiles - including the short-range Prithvi, the anti-tank Nag and the supersonic BrahMos - as a deterrent against neighbours China and Pakistan.

India’s Agni-II missile, with a range of up to 2,000km, can put areas of southern China within striking distance. And the Agni-III, successfully tested last year, can carry nuclear warheads across much of Asia and the Middle East.

AP