Dhanush is a ship-launched missile against surface and sea targets. All the radars and electro optical systems located along the coast have tracked the vehicle and monitored all the parameters. A ship located near the impact point has witnessed the final event. The flight test was perfect like a text book trajectory with the missile reaching the target point with a very high accuracy of less than few meters.

The surface to surface Prithvi (P-II) Missile was also successfully flight tested at 11 am from LC-III, ITR, Chandipur within one hour of Dhanush Missile test. The trajectory of the missile was also monitored by all the telemetry, radars and electro optical systems all through the flight. Prithvi(P-II) reached the designated target with accuracy of a few meters, which can be achieved by very few missiles in the world. The down range ship at the impact location witnessed the final event.

Both Dhanush and Prithvi Missiles were launched by the Strategic Force Command as part of the regular user training exercise. The missiles were taken from the depot and launched from both the locations within one hour duration by two independent teams.

The two missiles were test fired within five days of the successful demonstration of Ballistic Air Defence Missile System on March 6, 2011, by Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO). The series of successful launches boosted the morale of the scientists and Armed Forces. The missiles have been integrated with a very high level of quality under the supervision of Missile Systems Quality Assurance Agency (MSQAA).

The launch operations of both the missiles were monitored by Director, DRDL, P Venugopalan, Director, ITR, SP Dash, Programme Director, VLN Rao and number of scientists of DRDO. Scientific Advisior to the Defence Ministry and DRDO chief Dr VK Saraswat witnessed both the launches from ITR, Balasore.

The Defence Minister, AK Antony congratulated all the DRDO scientists, technicians, quality agency and Armed Forces for the successful launch of the two Missiles.

On March 6, the country’s prestigious Ballistic Missile Defence System was successfully flight tested at 9.37 am off the coast of Orissa.

A Target Missile mimicking the enemy’s Ballistic Missile was also launched from Launch Complex–III, ITR, Chandipur on March 6 at 9.32 am. The missile tracking network consisting of long range and multi function radars and other range sensors positioned at different locations detected and identified the incoming missile threat.

The interceptor missile at Wheeler Island with a directional warhead was fully ready to take off. The radars tracking the Ballistic Missile constructed the trajectory of the missile and continuous complex computations were done in real time by ground guidance computer to launch the interceptor at an exact time.

The fully automatic launch computer launched the interceptor at 9.37 am and the onboard Inertial Navigation System (INS) and ground based radars guided the interceptor to the target (incoming Ballistic Missile). The Interceptor intercepted the Ballistic Missile at an altitude of 16 km and blasted the missile into pieces.

It was a copy book launch and all the events and mission sequence took place as expected.