WeaponSpecs
Missile India flagIndia

Defence Research and Development Organisation

Prithvi-II

India's first indigenously developed short-range tactical ballistic missile family, road-mobile and capable of carrying conventional or nuclear warheads, forming the basis for later derivatives including the Dhanush naval variant.

In service since 2003 · 1 operator countries

Compiled from public sources ·primary reference ↗ ·last verified 2026-07-02

350

km range

5

Mach

1,000

kg warhead

Pricing: Unit cost not publicly disclosed

Procurement snapshot

Availability & export

National export licensing

Subject to India export-control approval; verify eligibility with the manufacturer.

Channel: Direct commercial / G2G

Fielded & proven

Limited · 1 operator

In service since 2003. Status: active.

Lifecycle cost (est.)

No public unit price to model from. Why so few systems publish one →

Interoperability

No standardised NATO calibre / datalink detected in public specs.

Derived guidance from public data, export regime by country of origin, lifecycle from the GAO ~30% acquisition rule. Verify eligibility, pricing and offsets with the manufacturer and your acquisition authority.

Full specifications

Performance

Speed, range, altitude and engagement capability.

Performance specifications
Max speed (Mach)

Maximum speed as a multiple of the speed of sound. Mach 2+ is typical for air-superiority fighters.

5 Mach
Stronger than 86% of missiles
Range

Maximum distance: ferry range for aircraft, operational range for vehicles, maximum engagement distance for missiles. Higher means more standoff or persistence.

350 km
Stronger than 73% of missiles

Firepower

Armament, payload and guidance.

Firepower specifications
Warhead

Warhead mass. Heavier generally means larger effect radius, at the cost of range.

1,000 kg
Top 5% of missiles
Warhead type

Blast-fragmentation, shaped charge (HEAT), penetrator, thermobaric or nuclear-capable.

Nuclear or conventional
Guidance

How the weapon finds its target: inertial, GPS/GLONASS, active/semi-active radar, infrared, laser, TV, wire.

Inertial navigation

Physical

Dimensions, weight and crew.

Physical specifications
Length

Overall length including gun/probe where applicable.

8.56 m

Propulsion

Engine, power and fuel.

Propulsion specifications
Propulsion type

Turbofan, turboshaft, diesel, gas turbine, solid-fuel rocket, ramjet…

Liquid-fuel rocket, two-stage

Program

Cost, production scale and operators.

Program specifications
Units built

Total production run. Higher means proven manufacturing, mature logistics and spares availability.

0
Stronger than 11% of missiles
Operator countries

Number of countries operating the system. More operators means broader support ecosystem.

1
Stronger than 14% of missiles

Specifications compiled from public Defence Research and Development Organisation and reference sources ↗. Published defense figures are approximations, treat comparisons as directional. Last verified 2026-07-02.

Compare with rivals

See how it stacks up

Frequently asked questions

What is the range of the Defence Research and Development Organisation Prithvi-II? +

The Defence Research and Development Organisation Prithvi-II has a maximum range of 350 km.

What is the Defence Research and Development Organisation Prithvi-II used for? +

The Defence Research and Development Organisation Prithvi-II is a missile typically used for deep strike.

How many countries operate the Defence Research and Development Organisation Prithvi-II? +

The Defence Research and Development Organisation Prithvi-II is operated by 1 countries.

How much does the Defence Research and Development Organisation Prithvi-II cost? +

Defence Research and Development Organisation Prithvi-II: Unit cost not publicly disclosed. Defense program costs are rarely fully public and vary by contract and configuration.

Similar systems