India has successfully tested its Made-In-India Advanced Air Defence (AAD) supersonic interceptor missile from Odisha range which is capable of destroying any incoming low-altitude ballistic missile. It was the third test which was conducted over the Bay of Bengal.
With the successful launch of the supersonic interceptor missile, the country is one more step closer to developing its two-tiered Ballistic Missile Defence shield. It’s a great success for the country!
Talking about the test, a modified Prithvi missile was fired as the enemy missile from Launch Complex-III of the Integrated Test Range (ITR) based in Abdul Kalam Island located off the coast of Odisha while the endo-atmospheric interceptor missile was also fired from the same island. The weapon system radars tracked down the target and guided the AAD interceptor missile to the enemy missile which it hit at an endo-atmospheric altitude of 15km.
The supersonic interceptor missile developed by DRDO is a 7.5-meter single stage solid rocket propelled guided missile equipped with a hi-tech computer, a navigation system, and an electro-mechanical activator.
It was the third test conducted this year which successfully intercepted an incoming ballistic missile within 30km altitude in the earth’s atmosphere. “It was a direct hit and grand success,” said DRDO official. The test was carried out to validate different parameters in flight mode of the interceptor missile.
The two-layer BMD system is designed to intercept and destroy incoming nuclear-tipped ballistic missiles both inside and outside earth’s atmosphere. The endo-atmospheric (inside) interceptor missile has a 2,000 km strike range and can fly at a speed of 4.5 Mach while the exo-atmospheric (outside) interceptor missile can destroy 5,000 km range missiles at hypersonic speeds of 6-7 Mach.
The Ballistic Missile Defence system is not yet fully operational but when it becomes would be deployed in cities like New Delhi and Mumbai. DRDO is also working on adding the third layer to the defense system which will defend the country from low-lying incoming cruise missiles, artillery projectiles and rockets, reported TOI.
