India test-fires Nuclear-Capable Nirbhay Cruise Missile from Odisha
Balasore, Oct 16: India successfully test fired long-rang cruise missile Nibhay from Odisha’s Chandipur on Friday. According to reports, the cruise missile was launched from the 3rd launch pad of Integrated Test Rage at Chandipur in Balasore district, about 230 km from Bhubaneswar, at 11:38 am today.
Officials have conducted the third test of nuclear-weapon capable – Nirbhay missile with having an operational range of 750 km. First two tests were carried out on March 12, 2013 and October 17, 2014 respectively and official noticed technical snags.
According to Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) sources, the missile was launched from the Chandipur. Although the take off was successful amid repeated disruptions of countdown, the missile missed the target after 11 minutes after it was test fired, said the sources.
The missile had a range of 750-1,000 km. But it nose-dived after covering 128 km in the Bay of Bengal. The cruise missile is expected to supplement the Indo-Russian joint venture supersonic cruise missile BrahMos, which can carry warheads up to 290 km. The two-stage missile has a length of six metres, a diameter of 0.52 m, a wing span 2.7 m and a launch weight of about 1,500 kg.