India Tests Ballistic Missile Defence System

New Delhi: The Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) successfully tested its Phase-II Ballistic Missile Defence System on Wednesday, showcasing India’s advanced indigenous capability to counter ballistic missiles of the 5,000-kilometre class.

The test involved launching a target missile from LC-IV Dhamra at 4.20 pm to simulate an enemy ballistic missile. This missile was detected by weapon system radars deployed on land and sea, which activated the Advanced Defence (AD) Interceptor system.

The Phase-II AD Endo-atmospheric missile was launched from LC-III at the Integrated Test Range (ITR), Chandipur. According to the defence ministry, “The flight test fully met all trial objectives, validating a complete network-centric warfare weapon system that includes Long Range Sensors, a low latency communication system, and Advanced Interceptor missiles.”

The successful test demonstrated India’s indigenous capability to defend against ballistic missiles in the 5,000 km class. Performance was monitored using flight data captured by various range tracking instruments, including Electro-Optical Systems, Radar, and Telemetry Stations, deployed by ITR Chandipur and onboard ships.

The Phase-II AD Endo-atmospheric missile is a two-stage, solid-propellant, ground-launched system designed to neutralise various enemy ballistic missile threats in the endo- to low exo-atmospheric regions. It incorporates several state-of-the-art indigenous technologies developed by DRDO laboratories.

Defence minister Rajnath Singh praised DRDO for the successful flight test, emphasizing that it highlights India’s robust ballistic missile defence capabilities.