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India Tests Nuke-Capable Missile Twice

By vivek raghuvanshi
Published: 12 Oct 2009 13:02

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NEW DELHI - India's Strategic Force Command test-fired two of the military's enhanced-range Prithvi-II surface-to-surface missiles from the missile testing range in eastern Orissa state on Oct. 12.

"The two missiles, aimed at two different targets at 350 kilometers from the launch point, met all the mission objectives," the Indian Defence Ministry said in its official statement.

The nuclear-capable Prithvi, the first missile developed under India's Integrated Guided Missile Development Program, can carry a 500-kilogram warhead, and its advanced inertial guidance system is accurate within a few meters, the ministry statement said. The missile is powered by two liquid-fueled engines.

A senior Indian Army official said India also needs solid-fueled ballistic missiles, which can be operational at a much faster rate than liquid-fueled ones.

Pakistan also has a set of missiles, and its Hatf-III missile, with a range of 290 kilometers, is powered by solid fuel.