BHUBANESWAR, Feb 4: India successfully test-fired a short-range ballistic missile on Sunday, the head of the test operation said.

The Brahmos cruise missile, developed by India and Russia, was launched off the coast of the eastern state of Orissa. “Mounted on a mobile launcher, the missile was test-fired at 12.15pm today ... off the Orissa coast as part of its user trial,” said A.K. Checkar, director of Integrated Test Range, the body which manages ballistic missile tests.The three-tonne Brahmos, which has a range of 290km is an anti-ship missile, but also has the capability to engage land-based targets. It is 8 metres in length and carries a conventional warhead weighing about 200kg.

Brahmos can reach a speed of Mach 2.823 (970 metres per second), almost three times the speed of sound.—Reuters