Balasore (Odisha), Feb. 24: India on Friday successfully test-fired the nuclear-capable surface-to-surface ‘Dhanush’ ballistic missile with a strike range of 350 km from a naval ship off Odisha coast.
Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) sources said, “It was a perfect mission and the missile splashed down near the target point with high degree of accuracy”.
“This naval variant of the indigenously-developed Prithvi-II missile was test-fired from the ship positioned near Paradip in the Bay of Bengal. The missile launch was part of training exercise by the SFC of Indian Navy,” Defence officials said.
‘Dhanush’ missile has a length of 8.53 meters and 0.9 metre wide is capable of carrying a payload of 500 kg and hitting both land and sea-based targets.
The single-stage, liquid-propelled ‘Dhanush’, has already been inducted into the defence services. It is one of the five missiles developed by the DRDO under the Integrated Guided Missile Development Programme (IGMDP).
According to media reports, the last trial was successfully tested on April 9, 2015.
(ANI)