| Country: |
India |
| Alternate Name: |
P-3, Prithvi SS-350 |
| Class: |
SRBM; SLBM |
| Basing: |
Road mobile |
| Length: |
8.56 m |
| Diameter: |
1.0 m |
| Launch Weight: |
5600 kg |
| Payload: |
Single warhead, 500 to 1000 kg |
| Warhead: |
nuclear 10 to 20 kT, HE, submunitions |
| Propulsion: |
2-stage solid |
| Range: |
300 km |
| Status: |
Development |
Details
The Prithvi 3 is a short-range, road mobile, solid-propellant ballistic missile. There seems to be some intelligence confusion regarding the missile, as India has had multiple Prithvi programs subsequent to the Prithvi SS-150 and SS-250 programs. Initially India began a Prithvi SS-350 program in 1994 intended to extend the country's SRBM range to 350 km. The SS-350 missile, sometimes identified as the P-3, was terminated prior to full development. Development of the Prithvi 3 did not begin until 2000; this missile is also sometimes referred to as P-3. The Prithvi 3 model is a departure from the propulsion system of the Prithvi SS-150 and Prithvi SS-250, as it employs a two-stage, solid propellant motor. The longest-ranged member of the Prithvi family of missiles, it was most likely designed for use as a tactical weapon against Pakistan and China.
Sources indicate that the Prithvi 3 has a range of 300 km and an impressive accuracy of 25 m CEP. It is fueled by a two-stage solid propellant motor. The missile has a 500 to 1000 kg payload, with a 10 to 20 kT nuclear warhead. It is also reported that the Prithvi 3 has 4 fixed tail fins and uses four control fins near the nose of the missile in order to maneuver within the lower atmosphere. Its range and payload are not sufficient to be used against strategic targets, although its high accuracy and mobility are ideal for use against military targets.1
The solid-propellant version of the Prithvi 3 was first tested in January 2004 with a second test in October 2004. In October the missile was launched from the Interim Test Range at Balasore, and was tracked by several ground stations including down-range stations. The missile flew what the Indian Ministry of Defense described as a "perfect trajectory, as per design projections." In May 2005 reports suggest that the system was also tested from underwater launchers with some success. Reports suggest the possibility of both land and sea-based Prithvi 3 missiles. 2 A contract was signed with Bharat Dynamics for a more extensive order of this weapon system, following this test. Thirty missiles were ordered in 2004 followed by an additional 54 in 2006.3 As of 2006, Prithvi 3 was not fully operational and unable to be deployed. 4
Reports suggest that there is a similarity between this project and the Dhanush missile system. The similarities between the two systems suggest the possibility of identical projects. They both share a common ship-based launch system, and the two missiles seem to have the same projected range approximations. P-3 is projected to have a two stage solid propulsion system, and the Dhanush is thought to be expanded into a two stage liquid and solid propulsion weapon. It is possible that Dhanush is simply a technology demonstrator for certain aspects of the Prithvi 3 program.
Reports suggest that a submarine-launched version of the Prithvi 3 is in development. This version would likely have a substantially increased range between 600 and 1000 km.5
Footnotes
- Jane's Strategic Weapons Systems, Issue 50, ed. Duncan Lennox, (Surrey: Jane's Information Group, January 2005), 57-60
- "India Tests Prithvi III and Dhanush," Jane's Missiles and Rockets, 1 December 2004.
- Jane's Strategic Weapons Systems.
- Martin Sieff, "BMD Focus: India's Giant Leap Forward." UPI Online , 1 December 2006. http://www.upi.com/, Accessed on 5 June 2008.
- Jane's Strategic Weapons Systems.
India Tests Underwater-Launched Missile
October 27, 2004 :: News
India today tested a naval variant of a nuclear capable ballistic missile with a range of 300km. The missile tested has been identified by news sources as a “Prithvi III,” and is said to be the longest range Prithvi tested thus far.
The missile’s characteristics, however, seem to indicate that it is more likely the missile known as the Dhanush, which itself had been derived from the Prithvi II. The missile launched today is said to have previously been launched from a ship, which is also true of the Dhanush.
The missile is also said to have the capability to be launched from a submarine. Today’s launch reportedly took place from a specially constructed underwater platform and canister, from the Integrated Test Range at Chandipur, in the eastern coast state of Orissa, some 230km from the city of Bhubaneswar. The missile landed in the Bay of Bengal.
Indian and Western news services variously report that the missile consists of a single stage, and the missile reportedly has a length of 8.5 meters (28 ft) and a diameter of 1 meter. While it is capable of carrying a nuclear warhead—described by some reports as “sub kiloton”—it may also carry incendiary or fragmentary munitions. Each of these dimensions and capabilities roughly correspond to those previously assigned to the Dhanush missile. The dimensions of the missile called the “Prithvi III” are not known. The missile may indeed never have been completed.
It would appear that India may have applied the signification Prithvi III to the missile previously termed Dhanush, or that the news reports are simply inaccurate.
That the missile tested is in fact the Dhanush is also suggested by an October 9 report by India’s The Statesman, that such a test was planned. (Link)
» Oct. 9: Dhanush trial expected soon
» More stories on: India, Testing - Foreign
» Missile details: Dhanush, Prithvi SS-250, Prithvi 3
