New Delhi: India's most sophisticated medium range missile, Prithvi, was successfully test fired from the Interim Test Range (ITR) at Chandipur, 15 km from Balasore, on April 29.

The Indian Army and scientists of the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), who conducted the test described it as a user trial.

Mounted on a mobile tatra Transporter Erecter Launcher, the indigenously developed missile with a range of 150 to 250 km, was fired at 11.27 am, according to ITR sources.

Prithvi's test was part of the continuing effort to further fine-tune the missile, which has already been inducted into the Army, the sources said.

The 8.56-metre high and one-metre thick missile, which witnessed a perfect lift-off, is part of India's Integrated Guided Missile Development Programme. With a striking range of 150 to 250 km, Prithvi was being developed for the Indian Army, Indian Air Force and Indian Navy.

The missile with latest on-board computer and an Advanced Inertial Navigation System could use both solid and liquid propellant.

Prithvi has a launch weight of 4.6 tonnes, which includes payload of one tonne. This variant of the missile could take just 300 seconds to reach the target located at a distance of 150 km, the sources said.

The first test of the missile was conducted on February 22, 1988 at Sriharikota in Andhra Pradesh while the last user trial was conducted for the last time from the ITR on March 26, 2003.

PTI