India has successfully tested its surface-to-surface, nuclear-capable Dhanush ballistic missile, at its full range of 350km from naval ship INS Subhadra in the Bay of Bengal.
According to the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), the naval version of India’s indigenously developed Prithvi missile reached the designated target.
Integrated Test Range director MV K V Prasad was quoted by NDTV as saying: "Strategic Forces Command (SFC) successfully tested the Dhanush missile today from a naval ship."
A defence official was also quoted as saying: "The trial was conducted by the SFC of the Indian defence force in co-operation with DRDO."
The single-stage, liquid-propelled 8.53m-long Dhanush was built by the DRDO under the integrated guided-missile development programme (IGMDP).
It has already been inducted into the armed services. It is one of five missiles being created under the IGMDP and is intended for deployment by the Indian Navy as an anti-ship weapon and to destroy land targets within its range.
The aim of the Dhanush missile is to provide the Indian Navy with the potential to precisely strike enemy targets. It has a launch weight of approximately 4.4t and can carry a traditional as well as nuclear payload of approximately 500kg to 1,000kg.
The Dhanush missile was successfully test-fired in April this year and November 2014.
