India tests surface to air missile

The Trishul (Trident) missile was fired from a coastal range in the eastern state of Orissa two days after its multi-target missile Akash, or Sky, was tested from the same location, the officials said.

India is developing the Trishul, which was last tested on July 26, for use by the army, navy as well as the airforce, and touts the system as the local version of the anti-missile Patriot system built by US-based Raytheon.

Military researchers say the Trishul, which can deliver a 15-kilogramme warhead nine kilometres, has the best manoeuvrability of missiles of its class developed either by India or its largest military supplier, Russia.

The missile is one of five being developed by state-run Defence Research and Development Organisation, which launched a project in 1983 to build an array of weapons. It hopes to cap the project with an inter-continental ballistic missile that can fly 5,000 kilometres.