Barak missile test fired from Chandipur off Odisha coast

Odisha Sun Times Bureau
Balasore, Sep 20:

Surface-to-air ballistic missile Barak-8 was successfully test fired twice from Integrated Test Range (ITR) launch pad at Chandipur off Odisha coast today.

According to reports, the missile was launched from launch pad-3 of ITR at 10.13 am. Residents around 2.5 km radius of the launch complex were evacuated as a precautionary measure.

Later in the day, the missile was test fired for the second time from the launch pad at 2.26 pm.

The missile has the ability to hit the target within 70 km radius. It is designed to defend any airborne threat, apart from aircraft and helicopters, and can also intercept supersonic aircraft and missiles. It is a nuclear capable ballistic missile, weighing around 2.7 tonne and 4.5 meters in length.

Barak-8 has been jointly developed by India’s Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), Israel Aerospace Industries and Israel’s Administration for the Development of Weapons and Technological Infrastructure.

President Pranab Mukherjee congratulated DRDO on the successful test firing of Barak-8.

Congratulations DRDO on the successful test firing of Indo-Israeli surface- to air missile ‘Barak-8 ‘ from Odisha today #PresidentMukherjee

— President of India (@RashtrapatiBhvn) September 20, 2016