India conducts counter missile test

Balasore (Orissa)—India Monday successfully test-fired two nuclear-capable missiles against each other from different military test ranges on the Orissa coast, officials said. While one missile was test fired from the shore-based Integrated Test Range (ITR) at Chandipur-on-sea at 10.15 a.m., the second one went off two minutes later from the Inner Wheeler Island. Both ranges are located 150 km from the state capital Bhubaneswar.
“The missiles successfully collided against each other. We are analysing the data,” ITR director A.K. Checker told IANS. The exercise was undertaken under the Prithvi Air Defence Exercise (PADE), being undertaken for the first time to validate its operational effectiveness. The exercise was earlier scheduled for Sunday but was put off after scientists wanted to do some additional checks. “While the missile from ITR was the attacker, the ohe from Wheeler Island was to act as the defender,” a defence ministry source said. The Prithvi is one of the five missiles being developed under the Integrated Guided Missile Development Programme of the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO).
First tested in 1988, Prithvi-I has a range of 150 km and can carry conventional or low-yield nuclear warheads for use against troops or armoured formations. Its two variants, Prithvi-II and Prithvi-III, have a range of 250 km and 350 km respectively. Prithvi-II was first tested in January 1996.—Agencies