Consider the following statements 1. The DRDO developed two variants of Prithvi Missile. 2. Prithvi II is equipped with features of maneuverability to deceive the enemy defence system. 3. Induction of Prithvi Missile enhances the capability of the Indian Army to attack multiple targets simultaneously. Which of the statements given above is/are correct ?

Statement 1 is incorrect because the DRDO developed three variants of the Prithvi missile under the Integrated Guided Missile Development Programme (IGMDP): Prithvi-I (Army), Prithvi-II (Air Force), and Prithvi-III (Navy/Sea-based) [t2][t4]. Statement 2 is correct; Prithvi-II is a surface-to-surface short-range ballistic missile (SRBM) that features advanced guidance and maneuverability to deceive enemy anti-ballistic missile (ABM) defense systems [t6]. Statement 3 is incorrect because while the induction of Prithvi missiles significantly enhances the Indian Army's lethality and reach [t8], the missile itself is a single-target delivery system. The capability to attack multiple targets simultaneously is typically associated with Multiple Independently Targetable Re-entry Vehicles (MIRV) or Multiple Rocket Launcher Systems like Pinaka, rather than the standard Prithvi ballistic missile configuration [t8]. Therefore, only statement 2 is accurate.

Sources

1. [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prithvi_(missile)