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Prithvi Missile – India’s first Integrated Guided Ballistic Missile
Prithvi Missile is a Surface-to-Surface Battlefield Missile. It uses a single state, twin-engine liquid propulsion system and strap-down inertial guidance.
It has a real-time software incorporated in the onboard computer to achieve the desired accuracy during impact.
In this article, we will cover details about the Prithvi missile series
The Prithvi class of ballistic missiles is the major source of short-range ballistic missiles in the Indian arsenal which is more useful for more tactical and battlefield uses. All of the missiles are road-mobile allowing them to be deployed with manoeuvring force.
Prithvi 1
- Prithvi 1 is a short-range, road-mobile, liquid propellant ballistic missile. The missile is 8.56 m long, 1.1 m in diameter, and weighs 4000 kg.
- It has a 150 km range and a 1,000 kg payload. It has been in army service since 1994 and is capable of striking roughly a quarter of Pakistani territory, including Islamabad and most other major cities.
- The missile has an accuracy of 50 m CEP* against targets of 150 Km, it uses an inertial guidance system.
- It is launched from a Transporter-Erector-Launcher (TEL) vehicle.
Prithvi 2
- The missile is 9.0 m long, 1.1 m in diameter, and weighs either 4,000 or 4,600 kg.
- Prithvi 2 is similar to the Prithvi-I in many ways, it carries a smaller warhead for a longer range.
- The missile was inducted into India’s Strategic Forces Command in 2003 and was the first missile developed under IGMDP.
- Also, It could strike at least half of Pakistan, including almost all important military targets and all major cities.
- This missile uses a single-stage, liquid propellant engine, giving it a maximum range of 250 km with an accuracy of 50 m CEP*.
- Finally In 2002 management of the Prithvi-II was shifted from the Indian Air Force to the Indian Army, though the IAF still provides target data.
Prithvi 3
- Unlike Prithvi 1 and 2, it uses a two-stage solid propellant motor. It has the longest range in this family of missiles.
- It has a range of 300 to 350 km and an accuracy of 25 m CEP*.
- Also, It can carry a 1,000 kg warhead to a distance of 350 km and a 500 kg warhead to a distance of 600 km and a 250 kg warhead up to a distance of 750 km.
- Certainly, this is the customized version for sea operations. It is also referred to as Dhanush.
CEP* – In the military science of ballistics CEP stands for circular error probable which is a measure of weapon system’s precision. It is defined as the radius of the circle, centred on the mean, whose boundary is expected to include the landing points of 50% rounds. that is if a bomb design has a CEP of 100 meters when 100 rounds are dropped at the same aim point, 50 will fall within a 100 m circle around that point.
Prithvi missile series is the backbone of short-range ballistic missile arsenal of the Indian Armed Forces deployed by India’s Strategic Forces Command.
So this was it for Prithvi Missile series. We are going to post all about Indian missiles topic wise like Agni, Brahmos etc. and all other ICBMs, BVRs and SAMs. soon
Stay tuned to DDE
Jai Hind
