a circle within which 50 per cent of the missiles fired will impact . In other words , if a missile has a CEP of 1 km ( such as the Iraqi Scud missiles fired in the Gulf War ), this means that half of them should impact within 1 km of their target . A missile with a conventional high-explosive warhead and a CEP of 1 km would not normally be expected to destroy or disable fixed military targets such as a Command and Control Facility or an Air Base . It would however be effective against an undefined target such as a city .
The German V-2 missiles fired at London between September 1944 and March 1945 had a conventional highexplosive warhead and a very large CEP of some 17 km . Yet the 500 V-2s which hit London succeeded in causing more than 21,000 casualties and destroying about 200,000 homes .
When the West were crying themselves hoarse over the NPT , we stressed upon building competence in core guidance and control technologies to achieve a CEP as precise as 50 m . With the success of the Prithvi trials , the cold reality of a possible strategic strike even without a nuclear warhead had silenced the critics to whispers about a possible technology-conspiracy theory .
The launch of Prithvi sent shock waves across the unfriendly neighbouring countries . The response of the Western bloc was initially one of shock and then of anger . A seven-nation technology embargo was clamped , making it impossible for India to buy anything even remotely connected with the development of guided missiles . The emergence of India as a self-reliant country in the field of guided missiles upset all the developed nations of the world . * * *