- India successfully conducted night trial of its indigenously developed surface-to-surface nuclear capable Prithvi-II missile off Odisha coast on February 21, 2018.
- The Strategic Forces Command of the Indian Army conducted the user trial of the 350 km range missile from a mobile launcher from launch complex-3 of the Integrated Test Range at Chandipur near Balasore in Odisha at 8: 30 pm.
- The missile weighs about 4,600 kg and is capable of carrying 500 to 1000 kilogram of conventional or nuclear warheads.
- It has an operational range of around 350 kilometers.
- Prithvi-II was Inducted into the 333-missile regiment of the Indian Army in 2003.
- The 9 metre-tall, single-stage liquid-fuelled Prithvi-II is the first missile to have been developed by the DRDO under the Integrated Guided Missile Development Programme.
- Yesterday’s trial was a part of randomly selected regular training exercise by the armed forces which reconfirms the Army’s readiness to fire it at short notice.
- It was developed under the joint collaboration of Defence Research and Development Organization and Bharat Dynamics Limited.
- The missile was first test-fired on 27 January 1996.
