Jun 11, 2006, 14:13 GMT
Balasore (Orissa), June 11 (IANS) India Sunday test fired the army version of the nuclear capable Prithvi 1 missile from a test range in Orissa, defence sources said.
The short-range liquid-propellant ballistic missile was tested from the Integrated Test Range (ITR) at Chandipur in the coastal district of Balasore at about 1.40 p.m.
The missile, which is 9 metres long and 1.1 metres in diameter, weighs 4,000 kg. It has a range of 150 km.
The Prithvi-1, which India began developing in 1983, is launched from a Transporter-Erector-Launcher (TEL) vehicle, designed to transport the missile along roads and railways.
The missile takes approximately two hours to launch. Its short range and low payload prevent it from being used against strategic targets.
However, the missile's high accuracy enables it to target enemy military targets effectively, making it a battlefield weapon.
The Sunday test firing was a routine one to judge it from different parameters, military sources said.
© 2006 Indo-Asian News Service
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