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India�s missile arsenal serves a number of purposes in New Delhi�s defense

strategy. Fundamentally, its ballistic missile arsenal is a means to deliver
nuclear weapons to deter both Pakistan and China. The latter requirement has pushed
India to develop longer range missiles and to diversify its delivery platforms
beyond mobile land-based missiles. To this end, India is developing ship- and sub-
launched ballistic missiles, and has collaborated with Russia on cruise missile
development.

Ostensibly these developments are all to support India�s minimum deterrence

doctrine, but as their missile arsenal develops, doubts grow about how firmly they
will hew to that doctrine. In particular, the developments of both canister
launched missiles, which can be fired much more quickly, and MIRV technology, which
was often considered a first strike technology during the Cold War, have raised
questions about the future trajectory of New Delhi�s posture. Still there is little
discussion in India about abandoning its declared no-first-use doctrine, and many
of these moves can be thought of as responses to developments in the Chinese
arsenal.

Prithvi (missile)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Prithvi (missile)
Type Short-range ballistic missile
Place of origin India
Service history
In service 1994 (Prithvi I)
Used by Indian Armed Forces
Production history
Manufacturer Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO)
Bharat Dynamics Limited (BDL)
Produced February 25, 1988 (Prithvi I)
January 27, 1996 (Prithvi II)
January 23, 2004 (Prithvi III)
Specifications
Weight 4,400 kg (Prithvi I)
4,600 kg (Prithvi II)
5,600 kg (Prithvi III)
Length 9 m (Prithvi I)
8.56 m (Prithvi II, Prithvi III)
Diameter 110 cm (Prithvi I, Prithvi II)
100 cm (Prithvi III)
Engine Single-stage liquid fuel dual motor (Prithvi I, Prithvi II),
Single-stage solid motor (Prithvi III)
Operational
range
150 km (Prithvi I)
250�350 km (Prithvi II)
350�600 km (Prithvi III)
Guidance
system
strap-down inertial guidance
Launch
platform
8 x 8 Tata Transporter Erector launcher
Prithvi (Sanskrit: p?thvi "Earth") is a tactical surface-to-surface short-range
ballistic missile (SRBM) developed by DRDO of India under the Integrated Guided
Missile Development Program (IGMDP). It is deployed by India's Strategic Forces
Command.

Contents [hide]
1 Development and history
1.1 Variants
2 Description
2.1 Prithvi I
2.2 Prithvi II
2.3 Prithvi III
3 See also
4 References
5 External links
Development and history[edit]
The Government of India launched the Integrated Guided Missile Development Program
in 1983 to achieve self-sufficiency in the development and production of wide range
of ballistic missiles, surface-to-air missiles etc. Prithvi was the first missile
to be developed under the program. DRDO attempted to build a surface-to-air missile
under Project Devil.[1] Variants make use of either liquid or both liquid and solid
fuels. Developed as a battlefield missile, it could carry a nuclear warhead in its
role as a tactical nuclear weapon.

Variants[edit]
The Prithvi missile project encompassed developing three variants for use by the
Indian Army, Indian Air Force and the Indian Navy. The initial project framework of
the Integrated Guided Missile Development Program outlines the variants in the
following manner.[2]

Prithvi I (SS-150) � Army version (150 km (93 mi) range with a payload of 1,000 kg
(2,200 lb))
Prithvi II (SS-250) � Air Force version (350 km (220 mi)[3] range with a payload of
500 kg (1,100 lb))
Prithvi III (SS-350) � Naval version (350 km (220 mi) range with a payload of 1,000
kg (2,200 lb))
Description[edit]

Agni and Prithvi missile models in DRDO, Balasore

Prithvi I[edit]
Prithvi I class is a surface-to-surface missile having a maximum warhead mounting
capability of 1,000 kg, with a range of 150 km (93 mi). It has an accuracy of 10�50
m (33�164 ft) and can be launched from transporter erector launchers. This class of
Prithvi missile was inducted into the Indian Army in 1994. As Per (DRDO) Chief
Avinash Chander the tactical 150 km-range Prithvi missile will be replaced with the
Prahaar missile, which is more capable and has more accuracy.� According to
Chander, the Prithvi I missiles withdrawn from service would be upgraded to be used
for longer ranges.[citation needed]

Prithvi II[edit]
Prithvi II class is also a single-stage liquid-fueled missile having a maximum
warhead mounting capability of 500 kg, but with an extended range of 250 km (160
mi). It was developed with the Indian Air Force being the primary user. It was
first test-fired on 27 January 1996 and the development stages were completed in
2004. This variant has been inducted into the army as well. In a test, the missile
was launched with an extended range of 350 km (220 mi) and had improved navigation
due to an inertial navigation system. The missile features measures to deceive
anti-ballistic missiles.
The missile was inducted into India's Strategic Forces Command in 2003, and it was
the first missile developed under the IGMDP.[4] After a failed test on 24 September
2010,[5] two more missiles aimed at two different targets were launched on 22
December 2010 and were successful.[6] According to news sources the range is now
increased to 350 km (220 mi) and the payload capacity now ranges between 500 � 1000
kg.[7][8][9][10] On June 2, India successfully test-fired its indigenous nuclear-
capable Prithvi-II missile. The launch happened at the Integrated Test Range at
Chandipur in Odisha at 9:50am. The missile, capable of carrying payloads of up to
1,000kg, was inducted into the armed forces in 2003. It is the first to be
developed by the Defence Research and Development Organization under its Integrated
Guided Missile Development Programme.

Test type Date User Status Notes

Test 27 January 1996 DRDO Successful
User trial 12 October 2009 (I) Strategic Forces Command Successful [11]
12 October 2009 (II)
24 September 2010 Failure Launch motor failure[12]
22 December 2010 (I) Successful [6]
22 December 2010 (II)
9 June 2011 [13]
25 August 2012 [14]
4 October 2012 [15]
7 October 2013 [16]
7 January 2014 [17]
28 March 2014 [18][17]
26 November 2015 [19]
16 February 2016 [20][21]
18 May 2016 [22][23][24]
21 November 2016 (I) [25][26]
21 November 2016 (II)
User trial 2 June 2017 Strategic Forces Command Successful [10]
Prithvi III[edit]
Prithvi III class is a two-stage surface-to-surface missile. The first stage is
solid fueled with a 16 metric ton force (157 kN) thrust motor. The second stage is
liquid-fueled. The missile can carry a 1,000 kg warhead to a distance of 350 km
(220 mi) and a 500 kg warhead to a distance of 600 km (370 mi) and a 250 kg warhead
up to a distance of 750 km (470 mi). Dhanush is a system consisting of a
stabilization platform and the missile. It is a customized version of the Prithvi
and is certified for sea worthiness. Dhanush has to be launched from a
hydraulically stabilized launch pad. Its low range acts against it and thus it is
seen as a weapon either to be used to destroy an aircraft carrier or an enemy port.
The missile has been tested from surface ships of the navy many times.

Prithvi III was first tested in 2000 from INS Subhadra, a Sukanya-class patrol
vessel. The missile was launched from the updated reinforced helicopter deck of the
vessel. The first flight test of the 250 km (160 mi) variant was only partially
successful.[27] The full operational testing was completed in 2004.[28] The
following year in December, an enhanced 350 km version of the missile, the Danush
was tested from INS Rajput and successfully hit a land-based target.[29] The
missile was again successfully tested-fired from INS Subhadra, which was anchored
about 35 km (22 mi) offshore from the Integrated Test Range at Chandipur on
December 13, 2009. It was the sixth test of the missile.[30] Prithvi III or Dhanush
was again tested on November 26, 2015 from INS Subhadra in the Bay of Bengal.[31]

See also[edit]
Integrated Guided Missile Development Program
Project Devil
SS-45 Missile
Project Valiant
Dhanush (missile)
Indian Ballistic Missile Defence Programme
References[edit]
Jump up ^ Arun Vishwakarma. "PRITHVI SRBM". Bharat Rakshak. Archived from the
original on 2007-12-12. Retrieved 2008-02-06.
Jump up ^ Centre for Non Proliferation Studies Archive, accessed 18 October 2006
Jump up ^ "India successfully test fires indigenously developed Prithvi-II
missile". 2016-05-18. Retrieved 2016-08-05.
Jump up ^ "Prithvi-II training launch successful". The Hindu. August 12, 2013.
Retrieved 14 August 2013.
Jump up ^ "PIB Press Release". Pib.nic.in. Retrieved 2010-07-16.
^ Jump up to: a b "India test-fires two Prithvi-II ballistic missiles". The Times
Of India. 2010-12-22.
Jump up ^ "Improved Prithvi-II successfully test fired". Indianexpress.com. 2009-
04-15. Retrieved 2010-07-16.
Jump up ^ "TOI" (2011-06-09). "Nuclear-capable Prithvi-II test-fired".
Jump up ^ PTI, Oct 12, 2009, 10.40am IST (2009-10-12). "Two nuclear capable
Prithvi-2 missiles successfully test fired - India - The Times of India". The Times
of India. Retrieved 2010-07-16.
^ Jump up to: a b "Indian army successfully test fires nuclear capable ballistic
missile Prithvi-II off Odisha coast". June 2, 2017. Retrieved June 2, 2017.
Jump up ^ "India test-fires two Prithvi- II missiles". The Hindu. 2009-10-12. ISSN
0971-751X. Retrieved 2016-05-18.
Jump up ^ "Strategic Weapons: India Improves Its SCUD Clones".
www.strategypage.com. Retrieved 2016-05-18.
Jump up ^ Unacknowledged (9 June 2011). "Prithvi-II successfully launched".
Business Line. The Hindu. Retrieved 9 June 2011.
Jump up ^ "Prithvi II successfully test-fired". thehindu.com. 2012-08-25. Retrieved
2012-08-25.
Jump up ^ "Prithvi-II ballistic missile test fired". The Hindu. 4 October 2012.
Retrieved 4 October 2012.
Jump up ^ "Nuclear Capable Prithvi 2 Missile soars again successfully". The
Biharprabha News. Retrieved 7 October 2013.
^ Jump up to: a b "India test-fires nuclear-capable Prithvi-II missile". The Indian
Express. 7 January 2014. Retrieved 7 January 2014.
Jump up ^ PTI (2014-03-28). "India test fires nuclear-capable Prithvi-II missile
from Chandipur". http://www.livemint.com/. Retrieved 2016-05-18. External link in |
website= (help)
Jump up ^ "India successfully test fires Prithvi". 26 November 2015.
Jump up ^ "Indigenously developed Prithvi-II missile successfully test-fired - The
Economic Times". The Economic Times. Retrieved 2016-02-16.
Jump up ^ "Prithvi-II missile test-fired in Odisha - Times of India". The Times of
India. Retrieved 2016-02-16.
Jump up ^ "Indian army successfully test fires Prithvi-II ballistic missile". The
New Indian Express. Retrieved 2016-05-18.
Jump up ^ "India successfully test fires indigenously developed Prithvi-II
missile". The Indian Express. 2016-05-18. Retrieved 2016-05-18.
Jump up ^ "India successfully test fires Prithvi-II missile from Chandipur - Times
of India". The Times of India. Retrieved 2016-05-18.
Jump up ^ "India successfully conducts twin trial of Prithvi-II missile". The New
Indian Express. Retrieved 2016-11-26.
Jump up ^ Team, BS Web (2016-11-22). "Prithvi II's twin trial successfully test
fired: 10 key points about India's indigenous missile". Business Standard India.
Retrieved 2016-11-26.
Jump up ^ "Nuclear Data - Table of Indian Nuclear Forces, 2002". NRDC. Retrieved
2010-07-16.
Jump up ^ Unacknowledged (12 Oct 2009). "Prithvi". Bharat Rakshak Missiles. Bharat
Rakshak. Retrieved 22 May 2011.
Jump up ^ "domain-b.com : Dhanush, naval surface-to-surface missile, test fired
successfully". Retrieved 6 November 2016.
Jump up ^ "Dhanush missile successfully test-fired". The Times Of India. 2009-12-
14.
Jump up ^ "Dhanush missile". India Today. Retrieved 30 November 2015.

External links[edit]
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Prithvi missiles.
CSIS Missile Threat - Prithvi I/II/III
[show] v t e
Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO)
[show] v t e
Missiles of the Republic of India
Categories: Short-range ballistic missilesBallistic missiles of IndiaDefence
Research and Development Organisation
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