India conducts second nuclear-capable missile test in ten days
16 June, 2022 | Riya Girdhar
Prithvi-II is an indigenously developed surface-to-surface missile with a range of approximately 250 kilometres and the capability of carrying a one-tonne payload.
Nearly ten days after conducting a routine test of its nuclear-capable Agni missile, India conducted a test of its other nuclear-capable missile, Prithvi, on Wednesday.
According to the government, a “successful training launch of a Short-Range Ballistic Missile, Prithvi-II” took place at 7.30 p.m. on Wednesday from the Integrated Test Range in Chandipur, Odisha.
“The missile is a proven system capable of striking targets with a very high degree of precision,” according to the statement, which also stated that the “user training launch successfully validated all operational and technical parameters of the missile.”
Prithvi-II is an indigenously developed surface-to-surface missile with a range of approximately 250 kilometres and a payload capacity of one tonne.
The test comes just days after India conducted a test of its Intermediate Range Ballistic Missile Agni-IV, which can travel up to 4,000 kilometres. Following the successful “routine user training” launch test of Agni-IV, the government stated that the test “reaffirms India’s policy of having a Credible Minimum Deterrence Capability.”
The tests come at a time when there appears to be a global rethinking of nuclear capabilities.