BHUBANESWAR, India -- India Sunday tested a short-range ballistic missile, capable of carrying a nuclear warhead, off its eastern coast, defense sources said.
The Indian-made Dhanus, or bow, with a strike range of 155 miles, was test-fired from naval ship INS Subhadra at around 12:20 p.m. in the Bay of Bengal off the state of Orissa, the Press Trust of India reported.
Indian defense sources said the Dhanus is a naval variant of India's surface-to-surface Prithvi II missile. It is a part of India's Integrated Guided Missile Development Program, which was launched in 1983 to develop and produce a wide range of missiles for surface-to-surface and surface-to-air roles.
Sunday's test of the ship-launched missile was considered a major milestone for scientists at the Defense Research Development Organization.
This test was India's third in recent weeks. On Oct. 27 it fired off a naval version of its Prithivi III, while on Nov. 3 it conducted a successful test of supersonic cruise missile BrahMos. Sunday's test was the third trial of Dhanus.
