India successfully test-fires nuclear-capable naval version of Prithvi missile

India successfully test-fires nuclear-capable naval version of Prithvi missileHoning its missile competence, India on Friday successfully test-fired nuclear-capable Dhanush - a naval version of Prithvi missile that has a strike range of 350 kilometers.

The surface-to-surface Dahnush missile was test-fired from a naval ship off Odisha coast. Blasted off at 11.25 am, the missile traveled along the pre-coordinated trajectory, and splashed down in close proximity to the pre-designated target in the Bay of Bengal.

Dahnush hit the pre-designed target with an accuracy of less than 20 meters. The missile was fired by the Strategic Forces Command (SFC) personnel.

Telemetry stations, radars and electro-optical systems tracked and weighed up the performance of the missile in real time. Naval official sources said that all the objectives of the mission were successfully met in a faultless performance.

Dahnush, which is one the five missiles developed by the scientists of the DRDO (Defence Research & Development Organisation), is a single-stage, liquid-propelled missile that can hit land as well as sea-based targets. It is capable of carrying conventional and nuclear payload of 500-1,000 kg.

Dahnush was originally slated to be test-fired within a short time after test-firing of Prithvi II on Thursday, but the mission was postponed to Friday because of rough sea conditions.