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| Prithvi | |
|---|---|
| Type | Short Range Ballistic Missile |
| Place of origin |  India |
| Service history | |
| In service | 1994 (Prithvi I) |
| Used by | Indian Army Indian Air Force Indian Navy |
| Production history | |
| Manufacturer | Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), Bharat Dynamics Limited (BDL) |
| Produced | February 25, 1988 (Prithvi I) January 27, 1996 (Prithvi II) April 11, 2000 (Dhanush) January 23, 2004 (Prithvi III) |
| Specifications | |
| Weight | 4400 kg (Prithvi I) 4600 kg (Prithvi II) 5600 kg (Prithvi III) |
| Length | 9 m (Prithvi I) 8.56 m (Prithvi II, Prithvi III) |
| Diameter | 110 cm (Prithvi I, Prithvi II) 100cm (Prithvi III) |
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| Engine | Single Stage liquid fuel dual motor(Prithvi I, Prithvi II , Single Stage Solid Motor (Prithvi III) |
| Operational range |
150 km (Prithvi I) 250 km (Prithvi II) 350 - 600 km (Prithvi III) |
| Guidance system |
strap-down inertial guidance |
| Launch platform |
8 x 8 Tatra Transporter Erector Launcher |
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Prithvi (Sanskrit: पृथ्वी, pṛthvī "Earth") is a tactical surface-to-surface, short-range ballistic missile (SRBM) developed by DRDO of India under the Integrated Guided Missile Development Program.
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Development and History
The Government of India launched the Integrated Guided Missile Development Program in 1983 for achieving 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 earlier attempted to reverse engineer SA-2 Surface-to-air Missile under Project Devil. The Prithvi is said to have its propulsion technology derived from the SA-2 surface-to-air missile. The dual liquid engine of Prithvi I might have been derived from scaling down of 30 ton Valiant Engine and scaling up of V-755 engine used by SA-2 surface-to-air missile.[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
The Prithvi missile project encompassed developing 3 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 - Army Version (150 km range with a payload of 1,000kg)
- Prithvi II - Air Force Version (250 km range with a payload of 500kg)
- Prithvi III - Naval Version (350 km range with a payload of 500kg)
- Dhanush- Dhanush is reportedly a naval version of Prithvi which can be launched from Ships.[3]. Some sources claim that Dhanush is a System consisting of stabilization platform and missiles, which has the capability to launch both Prithvi II and Prithvi III from Ships[1] while others report that Dhanush is a variant of Prithvi-II Ballistic Missile.
Over the years these specifications underwent a number of changes. While the codename Prithvi stands for any missile inducted by India into its armed forces in this category, the later developmental versions are codenamed as Prithvi II and Prithvi III.
Description
Prithvi I
Prithvi I class was a single stage liquid-fuelled surface-to-surface missile having a maximum warhead mounting capability of 1000 kg, with a range of 150 km. It has an accuracy of 10 - 50 metres and can be launched from Transporter erector launchers. This class of Prithvi missile was inducted into the Indian Army in 1994.
Prithvi II
Prithvi II class is also a single stage liquid-fuelled missile having a maximum warhead mounting capability of 1000kg, but with an extended range of 250 kilometres (155 statute miles). It was developed with the Indian Air Force being the primary user. It was first test-fired on January 27, 1996 and the development stages were completed in 2004. The Prithvi II class of missiles are in the process of induction by the Indian Airforce.
Prithvi III
Prithvi III class (codenamed Sagarika meaning Oceanic)[4] is a two-stage surface-to-surface missile in the developmental stages. The first stage is solid fuelled with a 16 metric ton force (157 kN) thrust motor. The second stage is liquid fuelled. The missile can carry a 1000 kg warhead to a distance of 350 km and a 500 kg warhead to a distance of 600 kilometres and a 250 kilogram warhead up to a distance of 750 kilometres. The design is developed while keeping the navy in mind.
Sagarika will be a nuclear-capable, ballistic missile, capable of being mounted in ships or submarines. Considering the upward capability developments, Prithvi class of missiles could be reclassified from short-range ballistic missile to a medium range ballistic missile. The current codename of the operational variant Dhanush could pave way for the new codename Sagarika as Sagarika becomes operational. Dhanush was successfully tested on March 30, 2007. Sagarika will be inducted into the Advanced Technology Vessel being developed for Indian Navy.[5]
There were a number of shortcoming in the initial version of Prithvi missiles namely, High circular error probability (CEP) of around 500 meters and volatility of the liquid-fuelled propulsion system requiring fuelling only just before launching. These shortcomings are being overcome in the latest developmental versions by incorporating of global positioning system (GPS) into the missiles to reduce the CEP to as low as 10 to 15 meters and use of solid fuel in the propulsion system.[6]
References
- ^ a b Arun Vishwakarma. "PRITHVI SRBM" (HTML). Bharat Rakshak. Retrieved on 2008-02-06.
- ^ Centre for Non Proliferation Studies Archive accessed 18 October 2006.
- ^ "DHANUSH SUCCESSFULLY TEST FIRED" (HTML). Ministry of Defence Press Release. Retrieved on 2008-02-05. “The test-fired missile Dhanush, is a naval version of Prithvi, developed by DRDO and manufactured by M/s Bharat Dynamics Limited.”
- ^ Article in The Tribune, dated 7 September 1998, accessed 18 October 2006.
- ^ The Bulletin of Atomic Scientists dated September/October 2005, accessed 18 October 2006.
- ^ Prithvi 'user trial' undertaken
See also
External links
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