New Delhi: India successfully carried out a test launch of tactical ballistic missile Prithvi-II from a test range off the Odisha coast on Tuesday. The defence ministry said the missile struck its target with “high accuracy”.”A successful training launch of a short-range ballistic missile, Prithvi-II, was carried out on January 10 from the Integrated Test Range, Chandipur off the coast of Odisha,” it said.

“A well-established system, Prithvi-II missile has been an integral part of India’s nuclear deterrence. The missile struck its target with high accuracy,” the ministry said in a statement. It said the “user training launch” successfully validated all operational and technical parameters of the missile.

The Prithvi-II missile has a range of around 350 kilometres. The Prithvi-II short-range ballistic missile underwent a successful training launch in June 2022 from the Integrated Test Range in Chandipur, Odisha. The missile is a tried-and-true device that can hit targets with a high degree of accuracy. The missile’s operational and technical parameters were successfully checked during the user training launch, according to the defence ministry at the time.

The Integrated Guided Missile Development Program was established by the Indian government in 1983 with the goal of becoming independent in the development and manufacture of a wide range of missiles, including ballistic and surface-to-air missiles. Prithvi was the first missile developed under this programme.