India’s new tactical surface-to-surface, short-range ballistic missile, Prithvi, failed to take off during a test launch from the integrated test range (ITR) at Wheeler Island off the Orissa coast.
According to defence sources, a coordinated exercise between target missile Prithvi from Chandipur and the indigenously built interceptor from Wheeler Island could not take place during the planned trial.
During the test launch, Prithvi was was fired from a mobile launcher from ITR’s launch complex-3 at Chandipur-on-sea but failed to blast off, according to the Times of India.
Sources said the preliminary analysis reported that the target missile might have deviated from its stipulated trajectory, leading to a lack of proper coordination, however, the exact reason behind the aborted take-off was yet to be discovered.
The test launch is part of the Defence Research and Development Organisation’s (DRDO) effort to develop a multilayer ballistic missile defence (BMD) system.
