India Wednesday successfully testfired the latest version of its nuclear-capable Prithvi II short range ballistic missile at Chandipur in the eastern Indian state of Orissa’s Balasore district, a senior Indian Defence Ministry official said.

“The army version of indigenously developed Prithvi II surface-to-surface ballistic missile, with a range of 350 km, was testfired at 10:30 a.m. (0500 GMT) this morning from a mobile launcher, some 20 km off Orissa’s sea coast,” the official said, on condition of anonymity.

The earlier version of the missile has already been inducted into the Indian armed force’s for its elite Strategic Force Command Special Group.

“This is the user trial of the latest version of the missile. The objective of the test is to check its compatibility once it’s inducted into the Indian Army,” he said.

India launched the Integrated Guided Missile Development Program in 1983 for achieving self sufficiency in the development and production of wide range of Ballistic Missiles, Surface to Air Missiles among others.

Prithvi was the first missile to be developed under the program.

Source:Xinhua