Article Posted on : - Apr 10, 2015

Dhanush missile test firing. A file photo

BALASORE, ODISHA (PTI): India on Thursday successfully test-fired its nuclear-capable Dhanush ballistic missile with a strike range of 350 km from a naval ship off the Odisha coast.

The surface-to-surface Dhanush, a naval variant of India's indigenously-developed Prithvi missile, was test fired from a ship in the Bay of Bengal off Odisha coast by the Strategic Force Command (SFC) of the defence force.

"The launch was part of an exercise by the armed forces and the missile reached the designated target with high precision," a DRDO scientist said.

"The missile launch and its flight performance was monitored from DRDO telemetry and radar facilities in the Odisha coast," he said.

The single-stage, liquid-propelled Dhanush having 350 km range has already been inducted into the armed forces and is one of the five missiles developed by Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) under the Integrated Guided Missile Development Programme (IGMDP), defence sources said.

The trial was conducted by the SFC of the defence force in co-operation with DRDO.

Dhanush missile is capable of carrying conventional as well as nuclear payload of 500 kg and hit both land and sea- based targets.

The previous trial was successfully conducted on November 14 last year.