India fires new interceptor missile in air defence test

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India.com

New Delhi, Nov 27 (IANS) India Monday successfully tested a new interceptor rocket as it took the first step in creating a defence system against incoming ballistic missiles.

It had earlier been reported that defence scientists had fired two nuclear-capable Prithvi-II missiles at each other to test the validity of the weapon as a defence system. It later emerged that the first to be fired was a variant of the Prithvi, the other was a newly-developed interceptor.

According to a defence ministry press release, 'a target missile simulating an adversary missile was launched from Interim Test Range at Balasore (in Orissa, 150 km from capital Bhubaneswar) at 10.25 a.m. The trajectory of the target missile was continuously tracked and the information was compiled in the mission control centre (MCC) and transmitted to launch control centre (LCC) for launching the interceptor missile.

'The interceptor missile had inertial guidance in mid-course and active seeker guidance in the terminal phase. The target missile was successfully intercepted,' the release added.

'Many technologies relevant to interceptor missile developed by the country got validated through this successful mission,' the release stated.

The interceptor missile had lifted off from the Inner Wheeler Island, also 150 km from Bhubaneswar. With the LCC receiving word of the first launch within 30 seconds of take-off, it sent aloft the interceptor 20 seconds later and the target was acquired and destroyed 30 seconds after that at a height of 50 km, informed sources here said.

The debris of the two missiles fell into the Bay of Bengal, some 70 km from Balasore.

The exoatmospheric interceptor system, as it is known in military parlance, is believed to have been developed at the Defence Research and Development Laboratory at Hyderabad and has been three years in the making.

It does not form part of the Integrated Guided Missile Development Programme (IGMDP) of the Defence and Research Development Organisation (DRDO). It however, incorporates certain technologies from the five missiles - Prithvi, Agni, Aakash, Nag, and Trishul being developed under IGMDP.

And contrary to defence ministry claims, the Monday test apart, the new system, which has not been named, is a long way from user trials, sources said.

'The country today achieved a significant milestone in missile defence system. It acquired the capability for air defence against incoming ballistic missile threats,' the defence ministry release said.

Defence Minister 'A.K. Antony has conveyed his heartiest congratulations to the entire DRDO scientific community and its programme director and chief controller of research and development V.K. Saraswat for the success of the mission,' the release added.

Meanwhile, a three-day national conference on range technology begins Tuesday at the ITR. To be inaugurated by President A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, it will be attended by 15 renowned defence scientists from the US, Britain, France, Germany and Denmark.

This likely makes the Paks not happy.