New Delhi: India on Sunday launched successfully test-fired its indigenously developed supersonic interceptor missile, which is capable of bringing down hostile ballistic missiles.
With this latest development, India has become fourth country after US, Russia and Israel to have successfully developed a ballistic missile defence system.
Considered to be an important technological milestone,the indigeneous system will largely negate Pakistan’s strategic striking capability in the country.
The trial on sunday involved the single-stage Ashvin Advanced Air Defence (AAD) interceptor missile destroying an incoming nuclear-capable Dhanush ballistic missile in mid-air.
Dhanush- a naval variant of the locally designed Prithvi surface-to-surface (SSM) missile was launched from an Indian Navy (IN) warship in the Bay of Bengal, official sources said.
"The 'kill' effect of the interceptor was ascertained by analysing data from multiple tracking sources,
The AAD interceptor is a 7.5 metre single-stage solid fuel rocket equipped with a navigation system, a hi-tech computer and an electro-mechanical activator.
The supersonic low-altitude missile weighs around 1.2 tonnes, stands 7.5 meters tall and has a diameter of under 0.5 meters.
The interceptor missile had its own navigation and tracking systems, mobile launchers and sophisticated radars
However, This was for the eleventh time that the missile was test-fired. It has failed to hit the target thrice. The first test was conducted in 2006 from the ITR. The last test on November 21, 2015, was successful,reported Times of India.
The new supersonic missile interceptor will soon become a part of the Indian Army's arsenal of world class weaponry. India started its own BMD programme in 1995.
Last December, India signed a deal with Russia to provide it with the S-400,Triumf air defence missile system for an estimated Rs 40,000 crore.
The S-400 Triumf can tackle multiple aerial threats at long ranges and is considered to be the most advanced system available with Russia.
In 2015, India ranked eighth in the world in terms of military expenditures, while Pakistan’s defense budget was some five times smaller.
After the U.S. and China, India has the world’s third largest army, with over 1.3 million active troops. Pakistan, meanwhile, stands eighth on the list at over 600,000.
