NEW DELHI - India on Sunday test-fired its indigenously built Trishul surface-to-air missile from a defence facility in the eastern Orissa state. The short-range missile, which means trident in Hindi, was fired from a mobile launcher at the test range in Chandipur, 220 kilometres northeast of the state capital Bhubaneswar.
The missile was targeted at a micro-light aircraft, the PTI news agency reported, quoting defence sources. Powered by a two-stage solid propellant engine, Trishul was fired over a range of nine kilometres and its range can be enhanced with the completion of the trials, PTI said.
Trishul, designed for the Indian navy, is designed to hit low-level targets, protecting naval vessels from missiles. The missile, variants of which are being developed for the army and air force, is tested at regular intervals. The Trishul project was initiated in 1984 and is one of IndiaÂ’s longest missile development projects. |